Board 128

Board 128
Opponents vulnerable

♠ Q 6 4 ♥ K 8 5 3 ♦ A 9 4 3 ♣ Q 6

RHO opens one spade in third seat. I pass, LHO bids one notrump, and RHO bids two clubs. I could double, but with soft values in RHO's suits, it doesn't appeal. (Incidentally, in my opinion this double is take-out for three suits, not just for two. So a two-spade advance by partner would be natural.)

I pass, and LHO corrects to two spades, which is passed around to me. I pass again and lead the five of hearts.

	NORTH ♠ K 8 ♥ J 9 7 6 4 ♦ Q 8 ♣ J 7 5 3
WEST ♠ Q 6 4 ♥ K 8 5 3 ♦ A 9 4 3 ♣ Q 6

West	North	East	South
	Pass	Pass	1 ♠
Pass	1 NT	Pass	2 ♣
Pass	2 ♠	(All pass)

Declarer plays low from dummy, partner plays the ten, and declarer wins with the queen. Another fine opening lead! Declarer plays the deuce of spades--four--king--ace. Partner shifts to the four of clubs. Declarer plays the ten, and I'm in the with queen. We have two spade tricks, one club, and the diamond ace. To beat this, we need two more tricks.

One trick in partner's hand plus a club ruff in my hand looks like a lively possibility. If partner has the club ace, a club return beats it immediately. If not, perhaps I can return a club, then find an entry to his hand when I'm in with the spade queen. That entry will be either the diamond king or a heart ruff. How do I decide? The only time I would need to underlead the diamond ace is if partner has king sixth of diamonds and a doubleton heart, which isn't possible.  With king sixth of diamonds and the spade ace, he would have bid.  So I can afford to lay down the diamond ace.  If partner discourages, I'll play a heart. If not, I'll play a diamond.

Is there anything wrong with this plan? What if partner doesn't have a third club for me to ruff? That can't be. Why would declarer duck partner's club shift holding ace-king fifth? Suppose partner has the club king and my continuation allows declarer to take a finesse he has no entry to take himself? My first thought is that partner wouldn't lead from the king with an apparently entryless dummy. But perhaps he would. Perhaps he thinks his best chance to beat this is to find me with ace doubleton of clubs. How about this layout:

	NORTH ♠ K 8 ♥ J 9 7 6 4 ♦ Q 8 ♣ J 7 5 3
		EAST ♠ A x x ♥ 10 2 ♦ x x x x x ♣ K x x

If I don't play a club, we can keep declarer off dummy and can score partner's king of clubs, but we still don't beat it. To beat it, partner must have an additional trick somewhere.  If that additional trick is the diamond king or a singleton heart,  I can score my ruff, getting our club trick back. If it is the jack or ten of spades, I can't. In that case, I would need to avoid a club continuation to beat it. But that's a very specific layout. I think I just have to pay off to it.

I return the six of clubs--jack--deuce--nine. Despite partner's carding, I still don't believe he had a doubleton club. I assume he switched to a middle club from three small. Declarer plays a spade--five--jack--queen. I cash the diamond ace--eight--seven--five. Partner didn't play his lowest diamond, so, as planned, I continue diamonds. Partner wins with the king and gives me a club ruff. Partner has the spade ten as a bonus. So declarer is down two.

	NORTH ♠ K 8 ♥ J 9 7 6 4 ♦ Q 8 ♣ J 7 5 3
WEST ♠ Q 6 4 ♥ K 8 5 3 ♦ A 9 4 3 ♣ Q 6		EAST ♠ A 10 5 ♥ 10 2 ♦ K 10 7 6 2 ♣ 8 4 2
	SOUTH ♠ J 9 7 3 2 ♥ A Q ♦ J 5 ♣ A K 10 9

Declarer might have made this. I was reluctant to think partner had switched to a club from the king looking at an entryless dummy. It's even less likely he would have played a club from the queen. I admit it's possible. Partner might be hoping I have ace doubleton and that declarer can afford to lose two club tricks but not two club tricks plus a ruff.  In that case, a shift from queen third might be his only chance. Declarer might hop with the king, playing him for ace third. The odds are, however, that East is simply making what looks to him like a safe and potentially useful shift.  So I think declarer's percentage play is to try to drop the queen offside.

At the other table, the auction begins the same way, but West does make the aggressive double of two clubs. North, playing Acol, knows his partner has four clubs, so he raises to three clubs. East bids three diamonds and buys it.

South starts by cashing his three quick trick tricks. He then resolves any problem declarer might have in spades by shifting to one. Declarer might have guessed spades right anyway. Or he might not have to guess.  South can force him to guess by tapping dummy with a club.  But if he continues hearts, declarer might strip the hand and play ace and a spade, endplaying North.  (That's not necessarily the best play.  To have the entries to do that, declarer must cash his high trumps in the wrong order, giving up on picking up a stiff diamond honor in South's hand.)  In any event, I'd prefer we hadn't made it so easy for him.

Me: +200
Jack: +110

Score on Board 128: +3 IMPs
Total: +14 IMPs

Now what?  I have some ideas for what to do next in this blog. But I'm taking a break at least until after the premiere of my opera, Tom Sawyer. The rehearsals, the rewrites, and the commute leave me with virtually no free time. Perhaps I'll see you there. The cast is first-rate (and, of course, so is the music).  Even if you're not an opera fan, I promise you'll enjoy it.