Match 2 - Board 3

Board 3
Opponents vulnerable

♠ A 10 7 5 ♥ A 9 8 ♦ K 8 4 ♣ Q 3 2

My opponents at this table are playing "2/1 GF with forcing NT," the same card as the previous table with "almost" removed.

I open one notrump (12-14) in first seat. Partner bids two diamonds, a transfer to hearts. I bid two hearts, and LHO doubles. This double should show a singleton or void in hearts and support for the other three suits. It isn't clear is how good a hand it shows. Immediate actions over a weak notrump should show roughly an opening bid. An opponent's strong notrump opening creates a presumption that you don't have a game on sheer power, so you can afford to bid obstructively. But an opponent's weak notrump opening creates no such presumption, so your bidding needs to be constructive.

This second-round double, though, is ambiguous. It could be: (1) A good hand where you had no sensible call on the previous round, or (2) a "pre-balance," that is, a hand where the primary reason for acting is your heart shortness and the fear that, should LHO pass, partner's heart length will constrain him from balancing. Playing sensible methods (i.e., Astro), (1) is pretty much confined to 3-1-4-5 or 3-1-5-4 patterns, since you would have bid two diamonds on the previous round with any good hand containing four spades and heart shortness. Playing most other methods, there is a wide variety of hands that fall into category (1).

Partner passes, and RHO bids three spades. I pass, and three spades ends the auction. How bad can this be? The opponents are in three spades, and we didn't even have to push them there. If only my opponents always played three spades (or five spades or two notrump).

What should I lead? Declarer rates to have four hearts, so a heart lead is unattractive. I could try to find partner with some help in one of the minors so I could start a tap. But, since I can't continue the tap beyond the third round, it's not clear that will accomplish anything even if it works. A trump lead, giving up on scoring the spade ten, seems weird, but it might actually be the safest choice. Nothing really appeals. In the end, I settle on the four of diamonds without much confidence.

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

West	North	East	South
1 NT	Pass	2 ♦1	Pass
2 ♥	Double	Pass	3 ♠
(All pass)
1Jacoby-transfer

Even after looking at dummy, I have no idea what I should have led. Dummy plays the diamond queen, partner plays the six, and declarer plays the five.

Partner probably has the diamond jack. It's possible he is discouraging from ten-six, but declarer's play makes that unlikely. There are fifteen high-card points outstanding. Unless declarer has thirteen of them, partner might have had the diamond king from declarer's point of view. So declarer would be unlikely to play the queen holding the jack himself. Declarer probably needs both black kings for his three spade bid. So my inclination is to place him with a hand such as

♠ K x x x ♥ x x x x ♦ A x x ♣ K x

If so, he will probably lead a heart at trick two and come to nine tricks via a crossruff.

Declarer surprises me by leading the spade jack at trick two--deuce--three. I'm not sure what's going on, but I see no gain to winning this trick. I play the five. Now declarer plays the king of hearts--deuce--six. It seems declarer has changed his mind and is reverting to a crossruff after all. Maybe I'm being gullible, but it seems right to win and play ace and a spade, holding declarer to one club ruff.

I take the heart ace and cash the spade ace--eight--six--four. Declarer bid three spades on a three-card suit? How bizarre! There is no reason North had to have four spades for his double. I'm holding declarer to no club ruffs. I play a third round of trumps--nine--diamond jack--spade king. I suppose partner is holding on to his hearts for fear declarer has five of them.

Declarer plays the four of hearts, I play the nine, and declarer pitches the three of diamonds from dummy as partner plays the heart three. Declarer wouldn't be pitching a diamond from dummy unless he had four in his hand, so he must have

♠ K x x ♥ ? x x x ♦ A 10 x x ♣ K x

I'm going to score the diamond king, and it's hard to see how I can score any other trick unless partner has the queen of hearts, enabling me to tap the dummy. It's also hard to see how partner can have the queen of hearts, given declarer's line of play. But it doesn't appear to hurt to play a heart. Even if I'm leading into declarer's queen-ten, I'm still not losing my king of diamonds. I play the heart eight--club four--jack--queen. Eventually I score my diamond king. Making three.

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

The opponents could have made three notrump or four spades (by ruffing one club and guessing the spade ten), but it's hard to see how they can get to either contract after this start. What can South do after the double? He can't drive to game opposite a possible "pre-balance." Two notrump would be a fine call if that were natural, but I doubt most experienced partnerships play it that way. My notes define it as lebensohl, in which case South could bid a constructive three diamonds. But that doesn't help. North can hardly move over that.

Playing Astro, North would bid two diamonds over one notrump, showing four or five spades and a second suit (in this case, a third suit as well). South would bid two notrump, an artificial game invitation showing exactly three spades. With five spades, North is supposed to bid three or four spades. With only four spades, he is supposed to bid his five-card suit. With 4-1-4-4 and not enough values to bid three notrump, he has something of a problem. I imagine he would bid three spades. I'm not sure what South should do now. It's hard to be objective when you know all the hands. Certainly pass, three notrump, and four spades are all possibilities.

In any event, minus 140 is a top for us. Only one other North-South pair played a partscore: two notrump making four. The others either reached three notrump or collected 500 against three clubs doubled.

Me: -140 (12 MP)
Total: 28 (77.8%)
Current rank: 1st