Free Weekly Instant Tournament - June 30 - Board 4

Board 4
Both sides vulnerable

♠ Q 9 7  ♥ A Q 10 8 2  ♦ K 9 3  ♣ 7 4

LHO passes, partner passes, and RHO opens with one spade. This isn't even close to a two-level overcall. I have a broken five-card suit, I have queen third of the opponent's suit, and I'm vulnerable.

I pass, LHO bids one notrump, and RHO bids two diamonds. The opponents haven't found a fit and the auction has not improved my hand. I pass again

LHO corrects to two spades, which is passed back to me. The opponents are presumably in a five-two fit. I have better prospects on defense than on offense, so it appears I made the right decision in staying out of the auction. I pass.

It could be right to lead a heart to get a tap going. Players think of starting a tap when they have four trumps. But it is often a good idea when trumps are three-three as well. Left to his own devices, declarer will have time to discover the favorable break. But if we tap him, he may be afraid of losing control. He might decide to play safe, cashing the ace-king of spades, then playing side suits and conceding two ruffs to the defense. So tapping declarer when trumps are three-three may gain a trick we aren't entitled to double-dummy.

Still, if declarer has the heart king, a heart lead will be wrong, and I have no particular reason to believe he doesn't have it. So I make the unimaginative lead of the club seven.

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

West	North	East	South
Phillip	Robot	Robot	Robot
	Pass	Pass	1 ♠
Pass	1 NT	Pass	2 ♦
Pass	2 ♠	(All pass)

Declarer's likeliest shape is 5-3-4-1. 5-2-4-2 is possible. Even 5-3-3-2 is possible. With a minimum, declarer would pass one notrump with that shape, but he might bid two diamonds if he has extras.

Declarer plays the club king, partner takes the ace, and declarer drops the jack.

What's going on? Why did declarer rise with the king? Surely he would have played low if he held a stiff jack. Perhaps he has jack doubleton and wanted to ensure a club entry so he could take a red-suit finesse. I'm inclined to think he's 5-2-4-2. Or possibly 5-1-4-3.

Will partner continue clubs, thinking I have a singleton? If declarer is 5-2-4-2, giving partner ace third, I suspect he will. He knows declarer doesn't have a singleton, else I would be leading low from three. But I might have one. And, even if I don't, it could be right to return a club anyway to kill the dummy entry.

If declarer has 5-1-4-3, however, giving partner ace doubleton, he knows I can't have singleton, since that would give declarer four clubs. He will probably shift to a diamond in that case.

He does shift to a diamond--the six. Declarer rises with the ace, and I play the three. Another unexpected play. If declarer has ace-queen, he has no reason not to finesse. And without the queen, I would expect him to duck to cut our communication. Perhaps he's afraid my club was a singleton and he doesn't want to give us a second chance to the get the ruff?

Declarer leads the spade eight. With nine-seven, it can't hurt to cover this. But it can't gain either. Declarer isn't letting the eight ride. If I play the seven, declarer may think I don't have the nine. So that's what I do. Declarer wins with the king in dummy as partner follows with the deuce.

Declarer cashes the club queen and pitches the heart six. So he did have a stiff jack! Why not play low on the first club? Then he could take two pitches, pitching another heart while I ruff with what might be a natural trump trick. This is a strange line of play.

Declarer continues with a diamond--jack--queen--king. I was wrong about the diamond queen also. Although now that I know he had a stiff club, spurning the finesse makes sense. He wanted to ensure he got his heart discard. That means he must have a doubleton heart. There is no hurry to take a pitch from three hearts, so he wouldn't risk being wrong about the diamond king. The only way this line makes sense is if he 5-2-5-1.

If that's the case, all we can take is one heart, one spade, and a diamond ruff. That's five tricks in all, so declarer's is making this. Is there any way to take an extra trick? Not if my construction is correct. So let's assume it's wrong. Is there any layout where I can leverage my queen-nine of spades to score an extra trump trick?

If partner has jack-doubleton of spades left and I score an overruff in clubs, we'll still have a natural trump trick coming. But that won't work if partner needs to ruff to gain the lead. He needs a diamond entry. Suppose this is the layout:

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

Now I can put partner in without shortening his trumps. We can take the diamond ten, two hearts, an overruff in clubs, and a trump trick for down one.

I play a diamond. The moment I click, I realize I made a mistake. Do you see it?

Fortunately it doesn't matter. My original construction was correct. Partner ruffs the diamond. We have a trump trick and a heart trick coming. Then we are out of tricks. Making two.

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

Minus 110 is worth 4%. 26 out of 28 pairs overcalled with two hearts, got raised to three, and usually made it. A spade lead would defeat it, although, unless the opponents find an unlikely double, that's still better than minus 110.

I'm surprised this is such a bad result. As I said before, I don't think this hand is even close to an overcall. It's not so much fear of going for a number that stops me. Mainly I'm worried about going minus 200 or about going minus 100 when I'm entitled to go plus. If partner has spade length, it's probably right to defend (although that wasn't true this time), and if he has spade shortness, it's his job to get us into the auction. I suspect, in general, I overcall more aggressively than the field. But a balanced hand with scattered high cards isn't my idea of the type of hand to get aggressive with.

It's disconcerting to get 4% for taking an action you think is routine. But that means I would get 96% most of the time, so I suppose I shouldn't complain. In a better field, I would expect about 45%. Below average because there will be a few overcalls, but certainly not a disaster.

What was my mistake in the defense? Go back to the diagrammed end position. When partner wins the diamond ten and cashes a club, declarer will pitch a heart. If partner plays a second club, declarer will pitch another heart and I lose my overruff. To get the extra trick, partner must cash the heart king before playing the last club. Will he do that? He might not. He might be afraid declarer has the heart ace. 

There is no reason to make partner find the play. I should cash the heart ace myself before playing a diamond to partner's ten. Now nothing bad can happen.

Of course, cashing the heart ace will cost if declarer began with king third of hearts. But how could he? With the heart king, it can't hurt to take the diamond finesse at trick two. Even if it loses, he'll get his discard before we can get at our heart tricks. Refusing the finesse with three small hearts is strange enough. Refusing it with king third is impossible.

Fortunately, if this were the layout, I would have a second chance. I play a diamond to partner's ten. He plays a club and declarer pitches a heart. I can recover by pitching the heart ace. Now partner is double-dummy. It's clear to lay down the heart king before playing the last club.