I usually publish my weekly post on Sunday, but I need to publish early this week, since it is going to be a busy weekend. Hartford Opera Theater is premiering my latest opera, Fall Back. If you're going to be anywhere near Hartford Sunday night, stop by.
Both sides vulnerable
| ♠ K J 4 3 ♥ K 10 8 6 5 2 ♦ -- ♣ K 8 5 |
Two passes to me. I open one heart, and LHO overcalls one notrump. Partner passes, and RHO bids five diamonds. If he isn't remotely interested in three notrump, there is a good chance he has a heart void. My best guess as to his shape is 4-0-7-2. I'm crediting him with four spades because of his unwillingess to pre-empt at his first turn. Partner probably has enough in high cards to raise to two hearts, since the opponents aren't sniffing at slam, so I suspect he has a doubleton and that there are five hearts on my left.
I pass, LHO passes, and partner doubles. Doubling five of a minor at matchpoints is seldom a good move, since some pairs will play in three notrump. If three notrump makes, the double has little to gain. And if three notrump makes four, a failed double could flip a top to a bottom. So partner must be fairly sure of his ground. He is probably doubling on natural trump tricks, assuming that if diamonds aren't running, three notrump won't be making either.
Unless partner has three tricks himself, I'm going to have to contribute something, and that something is probably a spade trick. One thing I'm not leading is a heart. The risk that declarer is void and a heart lead will allow him to take a finesse he can't otherwise take is too great. A spade lead seems inadvisable as well. Let's say I'm right that declarer is 4-0-7-2, and let's give dummy a 3-5-2-3 pattern, as seems likely. If I give away a spade trick on the opening lead, declarer may be able to pitch one spade on the heart ace and another on the third round of clubs. If I give away a club trick on opening lead, however, that may not be fatal. Suppose declarer has jack doubleton of clubs opposite ace-queen third. A club lead gives him a third club trick, but he still can't dispose of all his spades. As long as the ace and queen of spades are not both behind me, I still have a spade trick. Of course, if dummy has the spade ace, partner must find a spade shift at some point to break up the squeeze. But that should be easy for him to see.
Which club should I lead? The eight seems like the best choice. If declarer thinks I don't have the king, he may hop with the club ace and pitch his club loser on the heart ace. He might even follow with a ruffing finesse in clubs against partner. I don't see how it can hurt to mislead partner. I want a spade shift when he gets in anyway, so misleading him may even prove to be productive. The eight of clubs it is.
| NORTH
♠ 10 9 5 ♥ A Q J 9 3 ♦ Q J ♣ A Q 2 |
||
| WEST
♠ K J 4 3 ♥ K 10 8 6 5 2 ♦ -- ♣ K 8 5 |
| West | North | East | South |
| Pass | Pass | ||
| 1 ♥ | 1 NT | Pass | 5 ♦ |
| Pass | Pass | Double | (All pass) |
Aha! 3-5-2-3. I called it! It looks as if my construction is correct. Declarer plays low from dummy. Partner wins with the jack; declarer follows with the nine. Declarer must have ten-nine doubleton and was hoping I had led from king-jack-eight third or fourth.
Partner switches to the deuce of spades. The deuce? Unless partner is getting into the act with funny spot card leads of his own, it looks as though I'm wrong about declarer's having four spades. Declarer takes the ace, and I encourage with the four. Declarer plays the seven of hearts. Yes, I was indeed wrong about the spade suit. It now appears declarer is 3-1-7-2. That means he may be able to avoid a spade loser. He can play the heart queen, ruff a heart, club to the queen and ace, and pitch his last spade on the heart ace as partner ruffs in with what may be a natural trump trick.
I play the heart eight, declarer plays the jack, and partner follows. Instead of a low heart, declarer plays the heart ace. Partner ruffs with the seven and declarer overruffs with the nine. I play the six to reassure partner about the spade king. It appears my spade trick is now safe. Declarer plays the deuce of diamonds to the queen. I play the heart five. Partner wins with the diamond ace and shifts to the queen of spades. I overtake with the king and cash the jack. Annoyingly, but not surprisingly, partner follows.
Partner really should have led a low spade. On this particular deal, I can't think of any reason I would need to overtake the queen if I don't have the jack. But leading low from doubleton honors when there is no future in any other suit should be a matter of routine. It would inspire confidence to know I could trust partner to do that.
Anyway, we're out of tricks. Declarer finishes down two.
| NORTH
♠ 10 9 5 ♥ A Q J 9 3 ♦ Q J ♣ A Q 2 |
||
| WEST
♠ K J 4 3 ♥ K 10 8 6 5 2 ♦ -- ♣ K 8 5 |
EAST
♠ Q 6 2 ♥ 4 ♦ A 10 8 7 ♣ J 7 6 4 3 | |
| SOUTH
♠ A 8 7 ♥ 7 ♦ K 9 6 5 4 3 2 ♣ 10 9 |
Obviously declarer could have finessed the club queen, either at trick one or at trick five, and held it to down one. Ducking at trick one seems right. He might have made this if I had led from king-jack of clubs. But he should have taken the finesse later. It's true that he would go down three if the finesse lost. But I doubt there is much difference between minus 500 and minus 800. He was apparently mesmerized by the eight of clubs. And it was an expensive mistake. Five diamonds doubled down one was the normal result. We would have received only seven matchpoints for plus 200. Plus 500 is a top. And it seems partner was right to double. Plus 100 would have been worth only three matchpoints.
Professor Jack (Jack's post-mortem commentator) wishes to inform me of a possible "misunderstanding" in the card play. I ask him to explain. "Leading the club eight is not right," he says. "From king-eight-five the systemic lead is the five." OK, Jack. Sorry.
It occurs to me that if declarer had held jack-nine of clubs instead of ten-nine, a club is the only lead (other than a bizarre king of hearts) to let him make it. That's a little too close for comfort. I can't imagine either major is really the percentage lead. But I have a feeling the field doesn't know that. It's scary to think how close we came to having a disaster.
Score on board 29: +500 (12 MP)
Total: 238 MP (68.4%)
Current rank: 1st
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