Match 2 - Board 45

Board 45
Both sides vulnerable

♠ A Q 8 7 ♥ K 10 9 7 6 2 ♦ 5 4 ♣ A

Two passes to me. I open one heart. LHO doubles, partner passes, and RHO bids two diamonds. Since partner couldn't act over the double, this hand must belong to the opponents (unless partner is intending to make a cooperative double, in which case I'll find out soon enough). It's likely the opponents belong in a game. So rebidding two hearts is pointless. If the opponents bid over two hearts, my bid will have accomplished nothing other than to help declarer count my hand. And if they don't bid over two hearts, I'll probably wish they had. Two hearts doubled could prove ugly.

I pass, LHO passes, and partner bids two hearts. In the old days, some played that this auction showed a good hand (about eight or nine support points). They wanted to raise lighter than normal over the double, so, to keep the range of a single raise manageable, they passed and bid later with a constructive raise. This approach fell out of favor long before Jack was born. So I'm sure that showing a good raise is not what Jack has in mind. I suspect he is using this sequence to show a hand not worth a raise on the previous round. Perhaps something like queen-jack third of hearts and out.

RHO bids three diamonds. Partner's heart support is probably sufficient to beat three notrump. But the opponents may still be cold for five diamonds. It's tempting to pass and let sleeping dogs lie. But I hate breaking the Law. Why should I worry that opponents who were willing to stop at the two level will suddenly come to life and bid to the five level in a fit they already knew about? I bid three hearts, and everyone passes.

Why are the opponents letting me play three hearts? Someone has done something screwy. I just hope it isn't partner. West leads the deuce of spades (fourth best).

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

West	North	East	South
	Pass	Pass	1 ♥
Double	Pass	2 ♦	Pass
Pass	2 ♥	3 ♦	3 ♥
(All Pass)

It is partner! He has neither a constructive raise nor a sub-minimum. What he has is a perfectly normal raise that he failed to produce on the first round for no discernible reason. Everyone else is going to be in game and will probably be making it.

West's failure to lead a diamond suggests he has the ace. He also rates to have four spades, since East would have bid spades at some point if he had four. I play low from dummy, East plays the jack, and I win with the queen. West appears to have led a spade from king-ten fourth. So I can add to my list of inferences the fact West is unlikely to have four or more clubs with an honor sequence. (I would not assume West doesn't have an honor sequence in clubs at all. King-queen third and, to a lesser extent, queen-jack third are not attractive leads.)

I have two lines of play available. I can ruff spades in dummy and make five, or I can try to set up clubs. Let's see how the latter plan times out. Club ace, heart to dummy, club ruff, heart to dummy, club ruff. If clubs aren't three-three, I've held myself to four. (I can still ruff one spade.) If they are, I can play a heart to dummy and take three pitches, making six. Or, if hearts are two-two, I can ruff a spade to dummy and make seven. That ought to embarrass partner sufficiently to get him to raise next time.

I can ruff one club before I commit myself. So I might as well see what happens if I do that. I play the club ace--four--deuce--seven. If the opponents are giving honest count, then West has honor-six-four, and East has honor-honor-seven.Of course, there is no particular reason they should be giving honest count.

I play the six of hearts--five--jack--three, then the three of clubs. East plays the jack. I ruff with the nine, and West follow with the six. The jack was a poor play. We have already concluded that West can't have king-queen fourth of clubs. So clubs must be three-three. Had East played the club queen (the card he was known to hold), I couldn't be sure of the club split. It appears West is 4-2-4-3, which means I'm making seven.

I play the heart seven--eight--ace--four, then a club--queen--heart ten--king. Making seven.

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

This is a better result than I expected. Only three pairs were in game (making four, five, and six). Two pairs stopped in three hearts (making five and seven). And one pair sold out to three diamonds and beat it a trick. So we wind up with five matchpoints.

Partner was lucky East bid only two diamonds. Had he bid three the first time (as he should), we would have been shut out altogether. I'm not sure what I would have led, but I doubt I would find the ace of clubs lead to beat it two. That seems like a strange choice when I don't expect partner to have a quick entry.

A trump is the best lead against four hearts. Not only does it hold declarer to one spade ruff. It also kills a dummy entry, preventing declarer from utilizing the club suit. Does it actually beat four hearts? No, it doesn't. Declarer can win in dummy and play a spade to the seven. West wins with the ten and plays another trump. Declarer now plays ace and queen of spades, smothering East's jack. This is the percentage play any time East is marked with fewer than four spades. So, on most auctions, it should not be a hard line to find.

Score on Board 45: +260 (5 MP)
Total: 350 (64.8 %)

Current rank: 1st