BBO Daylong Tournament 1 - Jun 1, 2021 - Board 4

Board 4
Both sides vulnerable

♠ A K 6 4  ♥ K  ♦ J 8 4 3  ♣ K J 9 8

Two passes to one heart on my right. I double, partner bids two spades, and RHO passes. I have fifteen support points for spades (counting the heart king as worthless), and partner's two-spade bid, according to the tool tip, shows 9-12. That's means my hand is worth an invitation. 

Does that look right? What do I need for game? Queen fifth of spades, ace doubleton of diamonds, queen of clubs? That's a minimum two spade bid, and that looks like a fine game. If he has only four spades, however, the hand could prove awkward. To come to ten tricks, we will probably need to ruff two hearts in my hand or two diamonds in partner's hand. In an eight-card fit, managing those ruffs and still having the communication to draw the last trump and cash my club winners will not be easy. So I'm certainly not worth four spades. Even three might be too high opposite a four-card spade suit. But I have to invite. Any time he has five spades, game rates to have a shot. 

I bid three spades. Partner passes.

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

West	North	East	South
Robot	Phillip	Robot	Robot
		Pass	Pass
1 ♥	Double	Pass	2 ♠
Pass	3 ♠	(All pass)

West leads the heart queen--king--ace--deuce. There are only 16 HCP missing. If East has the heart ace, West should have everything else.

Partner had only four spades, but fortunately he has the club ten, which solidifies the suit. I have four spade trucks, three club tricks, and the diamond ace. One heart ruff is all I need to come to nine tricks. Or is it? I have no entry to dummy's clubs outside the trump suit. So if trumps are four-one, I can't both ruff a heart and run the clubs. Maybe I should try for two hearts ruffs in dummy? In that case, two club tricks are enough. If fact, if I can score six trump tricks, one club trick is enough. I may wind up playing the hand on a crossruff, ruffing dummy's club winners.

I can't formulate a more specific plan until I see how the defense proceeds. At trick two, East shifts to the deuce of diamonds. I play the seven, and West wins with the queen. He now shifts to the seven of spades. 

Paradoxically, leading trumps is often the wrong defense if it appears declarer may embark on a crossruff.  What it frequently does is pickle partner's trumps spots, making declarer's trumps high and making the crossruff easier. Unless you can lead enough rounds of trumps actually to stop ruffs, you are better off staying away from the trump suit. 

East plays the spade ten, and I win with the queen (leaving open the possibility from West's perspective that East has the jack). I now have two high trumps and one low trump in each hand. The outstanding spades are 852. 

I'm still not sure whether to crossruff or try to keep control and run clubs. But either line requires me to knock out the club ace, so I might as well do that now. I lead the queen of clubs. West plays the four; East, the five. 

It's a bit surprising West ducked this, since he doesn't know I have the ten. I suspect he has ace fourth and is ducking in the hope his partner has a doubleton. If so, he can give him a ruff if I continue the suit. In any event, I doubt very much he ducked with ace doubleton. That means I don't have to worry about the third round of clubs being ruffed on my left, which was the danger in going after a crossruff.

I play the ten of clubs--ace--nine--seven. West continues with the club deuce, and East follows with the six. West was indeed aiming to give his partner a club ruff. I pitch the nine of diamonds, reaching this position:

	NORTH Phillip ♠ A K 6 ♥ -- ♦ J 8 4 ♣ K
	SOUTH Robot ♠ J 9 3 ♥ 9 7 5 ♦ A ♣ --

If I can score the diamond ace and six trump tricks, I make the rest for an overtrick. I lead a diamond to my ace. East plays the six; West the ten. I know West has the diamond queen left. So He began with at least one spade, three diamonds, and three clubs. That leaves him with at most six hearts, so East must have a heart left. That means I can afford to ruff a heart small. Then I can play a diamond. If East follows, I ruff with the three, knowing West must follow with the queen, and finish with a high crossruff. What if East ruffs in to uppercut me? If he ruffs in with the five, I overruff with the nine. The missing trumps are now the eight and deuce. If East has both of them, I have the jack and three in my hand as a tenace over them. If West has a trump left, it doesn't matter. He still has a diamond, so can't overruff. There is no way the opponents can prevent me from scoring the last four tricks on a crossruff. 

I ruff a heart in dummy and play a diamond. East follows. I ruff small and claim.

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

86% for plus 170, I was actually the only one to play three spades. On the same auction, 11 pairs bid four spades (most of them going down) and ten passed two spades. That's tells me my judgment was probably right. When half the field drives to game and the other half doesn't even show interest, the wisdom of crowds suggests the hand is probably worth an invitation.

The point about staying off the trump suit when declarer threatens a crossruff is worth noting. In this case, it probably didn't matter, but it did give me less to think about. I could rest easier once the spade ten was no longer a threat. 

An initial trump lead, however, would have been a different matter. Now East can continue with a second trump when he is in with the heart ace and hold me to nine tricks. Singleton trump leads have a bad name. But I have noticed they are often right against a four-four fit. I would lead a trump from West's hand with softer clubs. But with A432, it's not so clear that a crossruff is in the works. Tapping dummy to kill entries to the club suit may be a better plan, so I agree with West's lead.