Match 2 - Board 51

Board 51
Opponents vulnerable

♠ A K ♥ K Q J 7 5 ♦ 8 4 2 ♣ 10 6 4

As I've said before, good things seems to happen when you open hands like this with a weak notrump, no matter how offensive it may be to your sense of propriety. And this deal is no exception. I open one notrump, and the auction proceeds pass--pass--two hearts.

In my methods, a double by me or by responder is for take-out. But Jack plays this as a penalty double. Until now, I've never seen a hand with which I would want to double for penalties on this auction. And, now that I've seen it, I don't know if I can afford to do so. Is partner really supposed to pass this double with a singleton heart? Perhaps he is. Never having played this way, I'm not entirely sure how it works. But if he is supposed to pass with a singleton, that means I can't double unless I have five. It seems wrong to reserve a useful call for such an unlikely event.

I would just pass if I thought partner was apt to pass it out. But, if he has a singleton heart, he is probably going to balance anyway. Having passed one notrump, he can bid a four-card spade suit or he can bid two notrump (unusual) with fewer spades. My best chance to shut him up is to double and hope for the best.

I double; everyone passes. Since we normally lead ace from ace-king, I lead the king of spades to show my doubleton.

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

West	North	East	South
1 NT	Pass	Pass	2 ♥
Double	(All pass)

Did partner sit with a heart void? I doubt it. More likely, declarer has balanced on a five-card suit.

Partner plays the six of spades; declarer plays the seven. On the spade ace, partner plays the five; declarer plays the ten.

Partner should not encourage in spades if he can stand the obvious shift. So, if I trusted partner's carding, I would assume he did not have the king of diamonds, in which case I would consider a club shift. (If declarer has king doubleton of diamonds and partner has the club ace, it might be necessary to put partner in before declarer can take a spade pitch.) But Jack doesn't think that way. It's too dangerous to break clubs without a compelling reason. I'm not entirely whether I would play a club if I did trust partner's carding. I'm certainly not going to play one when I don't. So I shift to a diamond. I choose the eight, since, if declarer plays low, I don't want partner inserting the ten from king-ten.

Declarer plays the queen from dummy, partner wins with the king, and declarer plays the ten. I assume this isn't a singleton. Even if partner is expected to sit with heart shortness and a semi-balanced hand, surely he should pull with a six-card suit. Partner returns the jack of spades. Declarer plays the queen, and I ruff with the heart five.

Obviously declarer has the four of spades remaining, since partner would have led the four rather than the jack if he had it. Declarer's falsecard at trick two was ill-conceived. If he had retained the ten, I wouldn't know the spade count. "Play the card you're know to hold" (or are going to be known to hold).

I play the four of diamonds--six--seven--heart deuce. Partner did sit with six diamonds! I'm just as happy this time, partner. But let's not make a habit of it. Declarer leads the eight of hearts from his hand. I play the jack, and partner follows with the six.

Declarer is 4-5-1-3, and he must have a club loser, else he would not have finessed the diamond at trick three. I will take two more heart tricks unless I get endplayed, and the only way I can get endplayed is if declarer can cash three club tricks. Thus it would be a mistake to switch to a club. If declarer has ace-king small or ace-queen small, a club switch would allow him to take three club tricks and pitch his spade on the diamond ace, reducing me to only trumps. If I play a diamond, I am guaranteed two more trump tricks.

I play a diamond to dummy's ace, and declarer pitches the seven of clubs. He plays a heart to the ten and my queen. I exit with a club and eventually score the heart king for down two.

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

Declarer could have held it to down one by rising with the diamond ace at trick three, since I must eventually break the club suit. But it would have made no difference. Even down one undoubled would have been a top for us. Everyone else declared one notrump our way. Half of them made it; half went down one.

That means we would have the same top if partner had pulled to three diamonds (as he should), assuming he made it. The defense can't beat it by force, but best defense will probably beat it in practice. Say South leads a spade. Declarer wins and plays the king of hearts. South takes his ace. He must now play a diamond to North's ace, and North must switch to the jack of clubs. Declarer covers with the queen. South wins and underleads his remaining honor. Declarer's percentage play (by restricted choice) is to play low.

This would be an unlikely defense to find. Not the jack of clubs shift. That's a well-known position. The hard part is the diamond shift. It's right only when partner has the diamond ace and the jack-nine of clubs. A club shift, however, is right anytime partner has the club queen and a slow diamond trick. Surely that's more likely.

Score on Board 51: +500 (12 MP)
Total: 407 MP (66.5%)

Current rank: 1st