Event 3 - Match 8 - Board 1

Board 1
Neither vulnerable

♠ K J 5 ♥ 10 8 6 2 ♦ 9 5 ♣ A 10 6 2

Partner opens one diamond, RHO passes, I respond one heart, and LHO bids one spade. Partner doubles, showing three-card heart support, and RHO bids two hearts, showing a contructive spade raise.

I pass, LHO bids two spades, and partner bids three diamonds. If the opponents had stayed silent after the overcall, three diamonds would show a good hand, roughly a hand that would have bid three diamonds over one heart in an uncontested auction. But a competitive three diamonds cannot promise extras. If partner has short spades, it is his job to compete. So, with a 1-3-6-3 pattern, he should bid three diamonds even with a minimum.

Since I'm limited by my pass over two hearts, partner might have a little extra. But he should have no game interest. If he thinks game is still a possibility, he must make a more aggressive call: an offshape two notrump, a double, or possibly three hearts. (Three hearts must invite game, since opener would never compete to the three-level in a four-three fit. And it suggests short spades, since, with a balanced invitation, double or two notrump would have more appeal.)

I pass, LHO passes, and RHO leads the three of spades.

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

West	North	East	South
Christian	Phillip	Floyd	Jack
			1 ♦
Pass	1 ♥	1 ♠	Double1
2 ♥2	Pass	2 ♠	3 ♦
(All pass)
1Support double
2Constructive raise

If you add the jack of diamonds to partner's hand, we belong in game. But surely with seven and a half playing tricks partner would have bid more aggressively.

I play the spade jack. East takes his ace and shifts to the queen of hearts. I assume this is a singleton or doubleton. There is little reason to shift to a heart otherwise.

What high cards can I place? West probably would have led a club with king-queen. So that gives him at best king-jack of clubs, the spade queen, and the heart jack. He needs the diamond king or a singleton diamond for his cue-bid.

I take the heart ace. West plays the seven. Presumably he is signaling to show the jack. If so, it's a foolish signal. I'm the only one who cares where the jack is. East, if he has a second heart, is more interested in where the king is, so he knows whether he can get a ruff or not. On a different layout, this signal could work out poorly. It might persuade East to hop up with the ace on the first trump play, taking a guess away.

I can take two hearts, a club, and a spade. I need five diamond tricks to make this. I have only one dummy entry, so one possible line is to cash the trump ace. If no honor drops, I cross to dummy with a club, take my pitch on the spade king, and lead the diamond nine, letting it ride if East plays small. If I'm right that West has a singleton diamond or the king, then this line loses only to a singleton eight on my left (of the holdings it's possible for me to pick up). If I'm wrong about West's diamonds, it will also lose to king third on my right.

Is there another plan that might allow me to pick up king third on my right? Suppose I cash the heart king. Then I cash the diamond ace and play another heart, driving the jack. I can then cross to the club ace, take a pitch on the spade king, and lead the good heart. East must ruff to stop my pitch. Now I pick up king third as well. This line works well if the heart king cashes. But it works out poorly if East ruffs the heart king. Since that is a serious possibility and since it caters to a lie of the cards I don't think is likely anyway, I revert to my first plan. I cash the diamond ace--deuce--five--eight.

I play the three of clubs--jack--ace--seven. I cash the spade king--deuce--club four--spade eight and lead the nine of diamonds. East plays the king, and West follows with the three. East plays another heart. I take the king and draw the last trump. Making three.

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

It looks as if East did expect his partner to have the heart king. With king-jack third, it cost him nothing to hop and try for his ruff. I wonder if he would have saved me by hopping with king empty third as well. He might wonder why I gave him that opportunity when I didn't have to. But, if West had signaled properly, East wouldn't even be tempted to hop.

I misplaced the diamond king because I expected West to lead a club from that hand. And I still think a club lead makes more sense. Declarer rates to have a singleton spade. What's he going to pitch it on? It's club losers, not spade losers, that are going to disappear. A club lead certainly makes things harder for declarer, but I suspect he will succeed in the end.

I am a little concerned they will get propelled into three notrump at the other table. It's not much of a contract. But with spades, diamonds, and clubs all behaving nicely, it makes.

Not to worry. They stopped in three diamonds, and our teammates defeated it. Does a club lead give declarer more problems than I thought? Say he ducks the first club and wins the second. Then he plays a diamond to the queen and a spade to the jack and ace. East plays a low heart. Declarer wins and plays a third club. West wins and plays another heart. Declarer wins, cashes the diamond ace, and tosses East in with a third diamond. East must now play a spade to dummy's king, allowing declarer to pitch his heart. That seems like a pretty normal line. Of course, once you know all four hands, it's hard to see what might appeal to declarer on a single-dummy basis.

Table 1: +110
Table 2: +50

Score on Board 1: +4 imps
Total: +4 imps