Free Weekly Instant Tournament - October 25 - Board 3

Board 3
Opponents vulnerable

♠ J 5 4  ♥ K 10 9  ♦ A Q 8 6 3  ♣ A Q

I open with one notrump. LHO bids two hearts, showing hearts and a minor. Partner bids two notrump, lebensohl (a puppet to three clubs). I dutifully bid three clubs and partner passes.

RHO now comes to life with three hearts. I can't imagine why he let me find out what partner's suit was before bidding three hearts. Bidding three hearts immediately must be better.

I pass, LHO passes, and partner balances with three spades. See? If RHO had bid three hearts the first time, partner wouldn't be able to bid three spades. The delayed raise gave partner a chance to show both his suits.

RHO doubles three spades. Partner should have four spades and longer clubs. The four-three spade fit doesn't look appetizing, so I'll correct to four clubs. But, with ace-queen of clubs to fill out partner's suit, I might as well bid three notrump on the way. If partner doesn't fancy three notrump, he can always pull to four clubs.

I bid three notrump and partner pulls to five clubs. Partner had no game interest originally but now, after his LHO showed a stack in his second suit and I've shown wastage in hearts, he's suddenly willing to try for eleven tricks?

For some reason, the opponents don't double. Everyone passes and West leads the three of spades.

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

West	North	East	South
Robot	Robot	Robot	Phillip
			1 NT
2 ♥	2 NT	Pass	3 ♣
Pass	Pass	3 ♥	Pass
Pass	3 ♠	Double	3 NT
Pass	5 ♣	(All pass)

Pulling to five clubs was an unfortunate decision. We have nine tricks off the top in three notrump. Ten if they lead a heart. This contract I'm not making.

The spade lead is either a singleton or three-deuce doubleton. If it's a singleton, I can hop with the ace and draw trump, reaching this position with the lead in dummy:

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

Now I lead a heart to the nine. If West has the heart ace, as seems likely, he is endplayed. He must give me a tenth trick in one red suit or the other for down one. If the lead was a doubleton, however, the endplay won't work. He will win the heart and exit with a spade for down two.

What happens if I duck the spade at trick one?  If it's a singleton, East can win and give his partner a spade ruff. But that's OK, since he's ruffing a loser. After ruffing, West will exit with a trump. I will win, draw trump, and execute the same endplay. I still get ten tricks.

What if I duck the spade and East wins and returns a heart to get his partner off the endplay? I play the nine, and West wins with the queen or jack. We've now reached this position with West on lead:

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

If West plays another spade, I can win in dummy and play a third spade, eventually ruffing a spade to my hand for my tenth trick. And if, instead of a spade, he shifts to a trump, then I can draw trump and lead a spade toward my jack for my tenth trick.

In short, hopping with the ace works if West has a stiff spade, but ducking works whether he has a stiff or a doubleton. (Assuming you define "works" as getting out for down one, which seems like the best I can hope for.)

I play a low spade from dummy. East wins with the queen and returns the deuce. I hop with the jack and West ruffs with the four of clubs. He doesn't give me the satisfaction of endplaying him, however. He cashes the heart ace, then shifts to a club. I claim the rest. Down one.

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

Minus 50 is worth 64%. That's pretty generous for going minus when we're cold for a game. Five clubs was played at a few tables. Most declarers rose with the spade ace at trick one. While not best, that works as the cards lie. Or it should work. After that start, they failed to find the endplay and went down two. 

Some sat for three spades doubled, which seems like an odd decision. Two of them made it after a poor defense. But most were down several.

Free Weekly Instant Tournament - October 25 - Board 2

Board 2
Our side vulnerable

♠ K J 10 2  ♥ A Q 5  ♦ Q 9 6 3  ♣ A Q

RHO passes. I open with one diamond and partner bids one spade. 19 support points is worth a four-spade bid. But the ace-queen in my short suit isn't pulling full weight, nor is the unsupported queen of diamonds. And I have six losers. This hand doesn't merit driving to game. I bid three spades.

Partner bids four notrump. I bid five clubs, showing my three keycards. Partner bids five diamonds to ask about the queen of trumps.

If I bid five spades and partner passes, then we are off an ace and the queen of spades. Am I unhappy if that happens? Should I lie and say I have the queen to make sure we get to slam?

One doesn't normally lie about holding the trump queen unless you are known to have a ten-card fit. But holding the jack and ten of spades may make this hand an exception. If partner holds five spades and passes, we've missed a 52% slam. If he has four spades and passes, we've missed a 50% slam. 

Actually both of those percentages are slightly overstated. The opponents might start the defense with ace and a ruff. Or, if partner has four trumps, we might run into a five-zero break. So slam is good, but only marginally so, if partner has five spades and against the odds if he has four. 

He is more likely to have five spades than four, since, with four, he needs a better hand in high cards to bid Blackwood. In other words, the set of hands where he will bid Blackwood is larger when he five spades. So if small slam were the only consideration, it's probably right to lie. But I can't be sure we're off an ace. If we aren't, partner is intending to bid seven if I show the spade queen. I certainly don't want to get to a marginal grand slam. It's close, but I think the odds favor telling the truth.

I bid five spades, and partner passes. RHO leads the three of hearts.

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

West	North	East	South
Robot	Phillip	Robot	Robot
Pass	1 ♦	Pass	1 ♠
Pass	3 ♠	Pass	4 NT
Pass	5 ♣	Pass	5 ♦
Pass	5 ♠	(All pass)

Partner has five spades, so slam is a favorite. Nothing I can do about that now. All I can do is take as many tricks as I can in this contract.

Some players think that, in a situation like this, you should take an anti-percentage play in spades, taking a finesse rather than playing for the drop, in the hope that six spades is going down. That's faulty reasoning. You aren't competing against the pairs in six spades. You are either going to beat them or lose to them, and nothing you do at your table will change that. You are competing only against the other pairs who didn't reach slam, and your best chance to beat those pairs is to take your percentage play. So I'm winning the heart and cashing two top spades.

What do I do after that? What I would like to do is sneak a diamond through. If I can, then I can pitch my last diamond on dummy's hearts and avoid a diamond loser. I don't want to play a side suit to get to the right hand for the diamond lead. That would give the defense unnecessary information. So I need to decide now which hand I want to be in after I cash the spades.

Which hand is more likely to have the diamond ace? West might have led the diamond ace if he had it. He might be afraid to lose it, or, if he has diamond length, he might hope his partner has a singleton. That's not a lot a go on, but it's all I've got. So I want to end up in dummy to lead toward my hand after cashing the spades.

I play low from dummy on the heart lead. East plays the nine, and I win with the king. I cash the spade ace--six--deuce--five. Now a low spade--three--king--queen. Unfortunately, six spades is making. I lead a low diamond from dummy as planned--four--king--five. I claim the rest. Making seven.

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

A few players did reach slam by lying about the trump queen. And perhaps they were right to do so. It's close.

The overtrick was important. Plus 710 is worth 46%. Plus 680 would have been worth 29%. Only one player decided to finesse the spade because he missed a slam. He scored 650 for a zero.

Free Weekly Instant Tournament - October 25 - Board 1

Board 1
Neither vulnerable

♠ K 5  ♥ A 9  ♦ K 7 6 4 2  ♣ A 9 4 2

Two passes to me. I open with one diamond, and partner bids one spade.

We had a similar deal a few weeks ago where I chose to rebid one notrump instead of my lower-ranking four-card suit, and I received a number of objections. (Not well-articulated objections. Simply comments like "One notrump is wrong.") On that deal one could argue for either rebid. This time I think one notrump is clear. Half my high cards are in my short suits. And I have decent secondary support for spades. If we belong in two spades in a five-two fit, we won't get there if I bid two clubs.

I bid one notrump, and partner bids two hearts, non-forcing. I correct to two spades. I'm glad I rebid one notrump. If partner is 5-4-1-3, he would pass two clubs, and if he's 5-4-2-2, he would correct to two diamonds. I suspect in either case I would rather play in two spades.

But partner doesn't pass two spades. He bids three hearts, invitational with a fifth heart. I have a maximum in high cards and two fitting honors in partner's suits. But having no third card in either suit is a liability. We are probably high enough at the three level. I correct to three spades and partner passes. RHO leads the five of hearts.

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

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

It looks as if I'm going to lose two hearts, the diamond ace, a club, and possibly a spade. I could conceivably set up the diamond king for a club pitch. But I'm in danger of losing control. It's not clear I can afford the tempo of playing a diamond to the king.

I don't think East is leading a low heart from honor doubleton or from both honors. So there isn't much point in finessing the nine. I rise with the heart ace. East drops the queen, and I play the deuce.

The four of hearts is still out, so it appears the lead was from a five-card suit and the queen was a singleton. If I pick up the trump suit and drive the king of hearts, I can take five spades, three hearts, and the club ace for nine tricks. If West has five hearts, it's likely East has spade length, so my best play in spades is to cash the king and finesse the ten. That is, assuming I can handle four-two spades. Can I?

After four rounds of spades, say I lead a heart to the nine and West ducks. I need to get to my hand twice--once to drive the heart king and a second time to cash my heart. I have only one trump left, so I'll need to find the club king on my right and use the club queen as one of my entries. If spades are three-three, I don't need the club king onside.

Even though the finesse is the right play in the spade suit, the fact that it works only half the time even when it's right makes playing for the drop better. Playing for the drop works any time the suit is three-three or when West has jack doubleton and the club king is onside.

I cash the king of spades--eight--three--nine. Why are they playing their high spades? I lead the five of spades from dummy, and East plays the six. Would East play 86 from J864 or J862? What if his partner had Q9? I would win the second trick with the ace and could now drive East's jack with my 107x. If East had saved the eight, he would have a second trick.

East can't afford the eight from jack fourth, so even if I were intending to finesse the ten, I would now change my mind. 

I play the ace; West plays the four. I cash the queen--jack--diamond from dummy--deuce. This deal is a good illustration of the folly of blindly falsecarding. You must decide whether you want to feign shortness or length. If you want to feign length, as here, you must play low cards, since you often can't afford high cards from length.

While East's play of the eight was an error, he might have gotten away with it if his partner hadn't outed him. East could afford the eight from J98x, but West's play of the nine told me that wasn't the case. While it turns out I wasn't going to finesse, the defense didn't know that. The two errors combined might have talked me into the winning play.

I'm up to nine tricks. Can I afford to try a diamond to the king? Say I lead a diamond to the king and ace. East taps me with another diamond. I lead a heart to the nine and it holds. Nope. I'm in trouble. I can't afford to play a diamond. I have to lead a heart to the nine.

I play a heart. Dummy's nine wins and East discards the three of diamonds. That looks like a five-card diamond suit, making West 3-5-2-3. Here is the current position, with the lead in dummy:

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

West presumably has K87 of hearts, two diamonds, and three clubs remaining. If he has the club king, can I endplay him? I can't let East in to put a club through, so I must hope West has the diamond ace as well. Say I lead the diamond king off dummy to West's ace. If he exits with his diamond, I can endplay him. So he must exit with a low heart instead. I win and cash a spade, and West pitches a club. We've now reached this position:

	NORTH Phillip ♠ -- ♥ -- ♦ 7 6 ♣ A 9 4
WEST Robot ♠ -- ♥ K 8 ♦ x ♣ K x
	SOUTH Robot ♠ 7 ♥ J 6 ♦ -- ♣ Q 7

When I cash my last spade, West simply pitches a heart, giving me a heart trick I can't make use of. There is no way I can extract that last diamond, so I can't endplay him.

Perhaps I'm better off hoping East has ace-queen or ace-queen-jack of diamonds and the club king. If I play a low diamond from dummy, he may hop with an honor for fear I'll score my singleton, then exit with a club, playing his partner for the queen.

That seems like my best option. I play the four of diamonds from dummy. East plays the five. That didn't work.

West wins with the jack and continues with the queen of diamonds. I doubt if he would do that with the club king, but it's my only chance. I ruff in my hand and lead the jack of hearts. West wins and plays a club. I duck, and East wins with the king. Making three.

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

Plus 140 is worth 79%.

If you rebid two clubs instead of one notrump, partner bids three hearts, natural and invitational. So three spades would appear to be the normal spot. Strangely, only one other declarer played it, and he went down three. Half the field was in three notrump, which three declarers managed to make. The other half was in three or four hearts, down several.

Free Weekly Instant Tournament - August 30 - Board 8

Board 8
Neither side vulnerable

♠ A K 6 5 3  ♥ J  ♦ A K Q 9  ♣ 7 6 2

RHO opens with one diamond. I overcall with one spade, hoping to make a take-out double of hearts on the next round. LHO makes a negative double, and RHO bids two clubs.

This auction didn't go as planned. Partner's best suit is apparently opposite my singleton, and I have excellent defense. So it looks right to stay out of the auction.

I pass, and LHO corrects to two diamonds. Good. I have even better defense against this contract.

Partner bids two spades. Presumably he has three-card support and not enough for a raise on the previous round. RHO and I pass. LHO, however, hasn't had enough. He bids three diamonds. Partner hasn't had enough either. He bids three spades. So he has four spades and not enough to raise on the first round? With that hand, he should have bid three spades over the double. If he's willing to bid to the three level, getting there as quickly as possible puts more pressure on the opponents. This auction should not exist.

Partner obviously has a stiff diamond. With that, plus four-card spade support, he can hardly have anything else, given his first-round pass. The opponents presumably don't have an eight-card heart fit, so partner's likeliest shape is 4-5-1-3. That means we are off three club tricks and a heart. If West leads a diamond, I may be able to dispose of some of dummy's club losers. But a diamond lead is unexpected on this auction. It's normal to lead opener's second suit, where you are more likely to develop tricks.

It feels strange to take one bid and subside with such a good hand. But three spades rates to be the limit. I pass. West leads the three of diamonds.

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

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

4-5-1-3 as expected. We have four losers off the top. But after this lead, I may be able to dispose of at least one of them.

As I said, a diamond lead is unexpected on this auction. North isn't competing to the three level with a flat hand. He rates to have diamond shortness, so one diamond trick is all the defense is getting, and there is no hurry to cash it. There is a serious danger, however, that I will be able to pitch dummy's losers on diamond tricks in my hand. It's true, my diamonds don't have to be as good as they are. But even if I have as little as the king of diamonds, a diamond lead will set up a pitch. So a club, partner's second suit, rates to be a better choice.

One reason West might choose not to lead a club is that he holds the club ace. Now a diamond lead, hoping to reach partner with the ace for a club play, makes some sense. But on this particular auction, a heart lead is a better choice. 

If dummy weren't broke, you might worry that declarer could take pitches on dummy's hearts. But dummy is broke, so it is unlikely to provide any discards. The most likely way for defense tricks to disappear is for declarer to pitch dummy's losers on his diamonds. If partner has the diamond ace, declarer must lead the suit himself to take his pitches, so there is no need for you to lead the suit. But if partner has the heart ace instead, a heart lead for a club through may be necessary.

Back to the deal. East plays the diamond ten, and I win and cash two more diamonds, pitching clubs from dummy, and ruff the fourth round. Diamonds were four-four as one would expect. East began with jack-ten fourth.

It's unlikely I'll manage to ruff two clubs in dummy, but I can ruff one to bring me up to ten tricks. I play a club from dummy. East wins with the queen; West drops the jack. East now, predictably, switches to a trump.

Here is the current position, with South to play after East's trump shift.

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

Is there any way I can ruff both clubs? I need East to have a stiff trump so he can't play another one. Since West has four hearts for his negative double, that would make East 1-3-4-5. Some would open one diamond with that shape, although I don't think the robots would. Even if he has that shape, however, he can duck the heart when I lead one off dummy and let his partner gain the lead for a second trump play.

I don't have much hope this is going to work, but I ride the trick around to dummy's queen and play a heart. East hops with the king and plays a second trump. I get only one ruff. Making four.

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

Plus 170 is worth 64%. A couple of players did reach four spades (one made it; one went down), but on auctions starting with a double. I don't understand doubling one diamond with a 5-1-4-3 pattern. When you can bid a five-card major at the one level, that is probably the right start. At some point your hand may be good enough that you have no choice but to double for fear of missing a game. But this hand isn't even close to that point.

West did have the club ace as I suspected. With ace-jack-ten, I can hardly blame him for not leading the suit. But I believe a thoughtful West would choose a heart over a diamond on this auction, so I don't mind "missing" this game.

Free Weekly Instant Tournament - August 30 - Board 7

Board 7
Both sides vulnerable

♠ J 8  ♥ K J 9 6 3  ♦ A 10 9 3  ♣ K 8

I open with one heart in first seat, and partner bids one spade. I can rebid either two diamonds or one notrump. If I bid two diamonds and partner corrects to two hearts with a small doubleton, I'll wish I had bid one notrump. If I bid one trump and partner passes with a stiff heart and a diamond fit, I'll wish I had bid two diamonds. It's not at all clear what to rebid for purposes of playing the right partscore. But if we reach game in notrump, it's probably better to play from my side. So I bid one notrump.

Partner raises to two notrump. I have no reason to accept; we may be too high already. I pass, and West leads the four of diamonds. It's usually a good sign when you decline to bid a suit and the opponents lead it.

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

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

Partner has the hand I was worried about. If I had bid two diamonds, I suspect partner would have raised to three and we would play it there. Fortunately partner has enough in high cards that notrump may actually be a better strain than diamonds. If his hand were weaker, diamonds would be better.

I play low from dummy, and East discards the three of spades. I guess we did well to avoid three diamonds.

I have four diamond tricks and two club tricks. I need two more. I can get two spade tricks if I find the nine of spades. The spade discard is probably from a five-card suit. So it's tempting to let dummy's five of diamonds hold and lead a spade to the eight. If the finesse works, I'm home. 

The downside to this approach is, if the finesse loses, I've not only conceded a trick to the opponents they were never going to score themselves, but I've also lost a tempo. I'll need to give up the lead twice more in spades, and, with three entries, the opponents have plenty of chances to find three additional tricks.

The alternative is to drive the ace and king of spades and hope to find an eighth trick somewhere. There are several possibilities. The nine of spades may drop. I may guess the hearts. And the opponents may present me with a heart or a club trick trying to develop tricks for themselves.

In general, it's not a good idea to stake the contract on a committal play at trick two when you have other chances. Still, the odds are five to two that this particular committal play will work. Perhaps better than that, since East, with ace-king of spades, may hop when I play a spade from dummy. In addition, if we assume East discarded his lowest spade from five, then the only way the finesse can lose is if West has specifically nine-deuce.

I decide the odds merit a committal play at trick two. I win the first trick in dummy and play a low spade. East plays the spade six, and my eight drives West's ace. I have eight tricks once I drive the spade king. Now I'm playing for overtricks.

West shifts to the club queen. That would be a strange play from queen-jack, looking at ace-ten in dummy. It could be from queen doubleton, or it could be from queen-nine third. (If you choose to lead the suit from that holding, the queen is the correct card. Leading low or the nine costs a trick if I have king-eight doubleton or third.)

I play a low club from dummy and win in my hand with the king as East plays the six. Now the jack of spades--four--seven--king. The four? That's strange. That means East gave false count at trick one. He either started an echo with K9632 or played low from K963. In the middle of the hand, the robots tend to discard honest count cards. But I have noticed that they don't always do so when showing out at trick one. Since I doubt East would have discarded a spade from K963, I'm going to continue to assume he started with five. Although I have to take back my claim that the finesse of the eight would lose only to nine-deuce.

We've reached this position, with East on play:

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

East shifts to the seven of hearts. If I guess the hearts, I'll make an overtrick. Do I have any clues? West's shift to the club queen suggests he believes he has an entry. There is no point to that play unless he can get in to lead another club. That's an indication he has the ace of hearts. It's not much of an indication, since the heart queen could be an entry as well. But it's all I have to go on. I play the jack, and West takes the ace. I have nine tricks now.

Surprisingly, West doesn't continue clubs. He returns the deuce of hearts. I pitch the seven of clubs from dummy, East plays the heart queen, and I win with the king. 

Why is West continuing hearts when a club shift looks routine? Perhaps he is trying to cash his partner's king of hearts? But he knows my shape. Even if his partner does have the heart king, it isn't going anywhere unless I have king-jack tight of clubs. It's fine to cater to an unlikely layout if you can afford to. But West can't afford to unless he holds the heart ten. If I hold king-ten, a heart continuation will pick up East's queen and given me the rest of the tricks. So, unless West is being careless, the heart shift marks him with the ten.

We have now reached this position:

	NORTH Robot ♠ Q 10 ♥ -- ♦ K Q 6 ♣ A 10
	SOUTH Phillip ♠ -- ♥ 9 6 3 ♦ A 10 9 ♣ 8

I have all but one of the remaining tricks. Can I execute a squeeze to take the rest? Not if East holds the club jack and West holds the heart ten, as I assume. What if I'm wrong about the heart ten? If East holds both of them, I can cash all my tricks ending in my hand, and he is squeezed. But West could see the squeeze coming. If that were the layout, he would have shifted to a club to break it up. 

My only chance, then, is that I'm wrong about the club jack. Could West have shifted from queen jack of clubs after all, perhaps hoping his partner had the king? I can't afford to risk the finesse, but I don't have to. I can run my winners, coming down to:

	NORTH Robot ♠ -- ♥ -- ♦ -- ♣ A 10
	SOUTH Phillip ♠ -- ♥ 9 ♦ -- ♣ 8

with the lead in my hand.

West must keep his putative heart ten. So if he has the club jack, he's caught in a show-up squeeze. 

I play a diamond to dummy. East discards the five of hearts. On dummy's spades, East follows, and West discards the seven of diamonds and the nine of clubs. 

On the diamond queen, East pitches the heart four. The ten is the only heart remaining. I play a diamond to the ace. East pitches the club four, and West follows with his last diamond.

We've reached the two-card ending above. West presumably holds the heart ten and one club, and East holds two clubs. I lead the eight of clubs, and West follows with the deuce. 

If my construction is correct--and I am quite confident it is--then it makes no difference what I do. If I finesse, East will win and return a club to dummy's ace. But you should never assume your play makes no difference. So I must assume I'm wrong about the heart ten and East holds it after all. If that's the case, is East's remaining club the jack or a small one?

I already decided West would have broken up the squeeze if one existed. So if East does unexpectedly hold the heart ten, his club must be a small one. I finesse. East takes his jack and returns a club. Making three.

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

Plus 150 is worth 82%. Note West did indeed make the nice play of shifting to the club queen from queen-nine third.

No one is in three diamonds. If you rebid two diamonds, partner bids two notrump instead of raising. So, except for the three optimists who raised two notrump to three and the one pessimist who passed the board out, everyone is in two notrump, taking anywhere from six to nine tricks.  

Free Weekly Instant Tournament - August 30 - Board 6

Board 6
Opponents vulnerable

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♠ 9 7  ♥ A K 10 9  ♦ A J 8 5  ♣ A 6 4

RHO passes. I open with one notrump and partner raises to three. West leads the seven of hearts.

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

West	North	East	South
Robot	Robot	Robot	Phillip
		Pass	1 NT
Pass	3 NT	(All pass)

If the seven is fourth best, i.e., from QJ87, then I'm winning the first trick cheaply and taking three heart tricks. If it's from a doubleton or singleton, even better. I can double-hook East out of his queen-jack and take four heart tricks. I play low from dummy. East plays the jack, and I win with the king. (The king is the right card. You would sometimes duck the ace but would almost never duck the king, so winning with the king conveys less information.)

There is some chance West led from Q87. But that's an unattractive lead, so I'll assume the lead is from shortness and RHO has the queen. That means I can take four heart tricks, three spade tricks, and a diamond. If I can take four club tricks, that makes twelve tricks in all.

I need to lead toward the queen-jack of clubs twice to pick up king fourth on my left. If I had entry problems, I would lead a low club now. But I don't, so I might as well cash the ace first in case RHO has a stiff king.

I cash the club ace--nine--three--deuce. Now six of clubs--ten--jack--king. East continues with the four of hearts. I finesse the ten, and it holds. I have the rest. Making six.

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

Plus 490 should be dead average. No other auction is conceivable, and the play was routine. But quite a few declarers managed to take only eleven tricks.

How? They began by playing a spade to dummy to lead the club queen. You can't take five clubs tricks no matter how the suit lies, so finessing East for the king never gains. And it loses if either opponent has a stiff king or if West has king fourth or fifth.

Still, the suit was friendly. So that mistake didn't matter. It was the next mistake that was fatal. If you lead the club queen, it holds, and you find yourself in this position:

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

You need to take two heart finesses to come to twelve tricks. Having squandered one of your spade entries, you must take one finesse now. Then you can drive the club king, run clubs, and finish with a second finesse. The declarers who reached this position, however, played another club and held themselves to eleven tricks.

Taking a heart finesse in this position is indeed dangerous. If it loses, a spade shift will kill the dummy, and you will lose the club suit. But we decided at trick one that the heart queen was onside. It's not clear to me whether these declarers failed to deduce at trick one that the heart queen was onside or whether they didn't notice that they were running out of entries. But, for whatever reason, playing this hand correctly was worth a generous 82%.

Free Weekly Instant Tournament - August 30 - Board 5

Board 5
Our side vulnerable

♠ A J 4  ♥ K 10 8 7 3  ♦ J 4  ♣ K 6 2

Two passes to me. I open with one heart. LHO passes, partner bids one spade, and RHO passes.

Some players are fond of passing one-level responses with a minimum third-seat opening. A game is unlikely, they reason, and if you bid again, partner's rebid may get you too high.

I try to avoid passing, since it makes it too easy for the opponents to enter the auction. If partner's rebid gets you too high, then maybe the opponents could have made something.

In this case, however, the fact that the robots don't allow three-card raises of responder's major creates a problem. Since I can't raise to two spades, my only choices are one notrump and pass. I've observed the robots don't always correct a one notrump rebid to their five-card major. So I'm worried that, if I bid one notrump, I may play it there when we belong in spades. It feels wrong to "correct" to what is probably an inferior strain. So, while I don't especially like making it easy for LHO to balance, I choose to pass.

LHO balances with one trump, which the tooltip says shows the minors. He shouldn't have a lot of shape, since he didn't bid over one heart. I suspect he's five-four one way or the other.

Partner bids two spades, presumably inferring my three-card support from my pass. RHO bids three diamonds.

After two passes, partner competes again with three spades. I suppose he has six spades--and not a good suit, since he declined to open with a weak two-bid. Now I wish I had bid one notrump.  Partner would have corrected to two spades and we probably would have bought it there. Letting LHO in cheaply resulted in our being pushed to the three level. Passing led to exactly the outcome I was afraid of.

Everyone passes, and RHO leads the three of clubs.

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

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

The three is the lowest outstanding club, so it appears clubs are three-four. West must have four diamonds to have bid three diamonds, so East apparently balanced with one notrump with only four-four in the minors.

I play low from dummy, East plays the ten, and I win with the queen.

Nine tricks is going to be difficult. I'm going to need West to have the club jack so that clubs are sente for the defense. In that case, West must have the diamond ace. Otherwise he would have preferred a diamond lead to an unattractive lead from jack third. That means I'm losing two diamonds, a heart, and a club. I'm going to need West to have the spade king, and I'll need to dispose of my third club and my third diamond somehow. 

How might I do that? Suppose trumps are two-two and the heart ace is onside. Then I can ruff a diamond and pitch a club on the heart king. That means I'm playing West for

♠ Kx  ♥ A x x x  ♦ A x x x  ♣ J x x.

But that's an opening bid. He can't have that hand. How about this hand?

♠ K x  ♥ x x x x  ♦ A Q x x  ♣ J x x

I can draw trumps, then lead toward the jack of diamonds. The defense can't continue clubs. So eventually I pitch one of dummy's clubs on my diamond king and ruff a club.

That sounds like my best shot. I lead the ten of spades and float it. It holds. Now a low spade. West plays low. I play the jack, and East pitches the seven of clubs.

Trumps weren't two-two. That means I can't ruff anything in dummy. My only chance is to develop a heart trick for a club pitch. Maybe West has the heart queen and East will hop with his ace when I lead a low heart from dummy, thinking I'm trying to sneak through my stiff queen.

I cash the spade ace, and East pitches the five of hearts. Now a low heart from dummy. East plays the jack; West, the nine. That didn't work. This is the position, with East on lead:

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

At least East is now endplayed. He must give me one of dummy's kings or break diamonds. So I don't need West to hold the diamond queen anymore.

East shifts to five of diamonds. West wins with the queen. West did have the queen, so the endplay was unnecessary. I still have the diamond ace and two clubs to lose, so I'm going down one.

West cashes the diamond ace and shifts to the four of clubs. I play low from dummy, and East takes the ace. Making three.

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

Plus 140 is worth 100%. No surprise, since there is no way to make this legitimately. I have no idea why West shifted to a club at the end. I can't imagine how he thought it could cost to exit with a heart or a diamond.

I almost found the best line. At least I avoided leading up to the heart king early. That's a superficially attractive line, but it can't work if my inference about the diamond ace is correct. In the end, though, it wasn't my play that mattered. The defense simply handed me a gift.

Why "almost" the best line? Leading the spade queen for the finesse rather than the ten would have been better. It shouldn't make any difference. West should see that covering might allow me to use one of dummy's trumps to ruff with. But if he does foolishly cover, I might save a trick.

Take this layout, for instance:

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

If West ducks the spade queen, I'm down two. If he covers, I can take the ace and lead the heart king from dummy, keeping West off play so he can't lead another trump. East wins and plays another heart, which I ruff. I now play a diamond to the jack, hoping to find West with the queen. That fails, but the defense can't stop me from getting a diamond ruff, so I get out for down one.

So far as the auction goes, East's balancing one notrump was wrong. He should have doubled, showing a three-suit takeout, to bring hearts into the picture. Hearts is his best suit after all. Since I opened in third seat, I might have only four hearts and hearts could easily be the right strain.

Free Weekly Instant Tournament - August 30 - Board 4

Board 4
Both sides vulnerable

♠ 6 3 2  ♥ A Q 8  ♦ K 6 2  ♣ A J 8 7

Three passes to me. I open with one club. LHO overcalls with one heart, partner bids one spade, and RHO raises to two hearts. 

Partner has shown at least five spades by responding one spade instead of making a negative double. So some think there is no need to play support doubles here. I disagree. In a competitive auction, it's important to know how many trumps you have. Distinguishing a three-card raise from a four-card raise helps partner know how high to compete. For once, the robots agree with me. They play double here as support-showing.

I double, and partner pulls to two spades, ending the auction. RHO leads the three of hearts.

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

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

If I duck and LHO inserts the nine or ten, should I consider repeating the finesse? Might East play the nine or ten while holding the king? Yes, he might. If his partner has the jack and I made the gutsy play of ducking, playing the king costs a trick. And even if I hold the jack, ducking won't cost if I have a useful pitch on the third round of hearts.

West can solve this problem for his partner by leading a high heart when he doesn't have an honor. He can't afford to do that if he might have a doubleton. But, once he has raised, the lead of a low heart should promise an honor. 

I duck in dummy, and East takes the king. I should play the card I'm known to hold. Which card is that? West knows I hold the jack, but East knows I hold the deuce. So "the card I'm known to hold" depends on which defender you're talking about. In general, you should prefer to conceal your holding from the stronger hand, since the weaker hand is already largely in the dark. So I play the deuce.

I have two finesses to take in the side suits. I can avoid one of them by pitching on dummy's heart. But I need to guess which finesse to take. Fortunately, East solves that problem for me. He switches to the seven of diamonds. West will take his ace, and I can now pitch my club on dummy's heart.

But West doesn't take his ace. He inserts the diamond eight. What hand is he playing me for? Perhaps something like this:

♠ ? ? x x x  ♥ J x  ♦ Q x x  ♣ x x x

If I hold that hand, West is right to duck. If he takes his ace, I get two diamond tricks and can pitch a club loser, so the defense scores only two tricks in the minors. If he ducks, they get three.

What if you add the club king to that hand? Then ducking is right if the club queen is offside: The defense takes two minor-suit tricks instead of one. But if the club queen is onside, ducking makes no difference. The diamond ace is the only minor-suit trick the defense can ever take. Make the clubs ten-nine third and we reach a similar conclusion. Ducking gains if both club honors are offside and makes no difference otherwise. 

In short, ducking gains only if I have a club loser to pitch on dummy's hearts. Since West is taking a risk that he will lose his diamond ace altogether by ducking, he must think that is possible. As we have seen, when West holds the club queen, that is less apt to be true. So there is some inference he doesn't hold that card.

Am I confident enough of that inference to play for queen doubleton offside rather than take the finesse? I'm not sure yet. I'll worry about that when the time comes.

I take the diamond king and cash two hearts, pitching my last diamond, reaching this position:

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

If I play a spade and East plays low, which card should I play? East holds the heart king and, presumably, both minor suit queens. He could have either the spade ace or the queen, but not both, else he would have opened the bidding. So I needn't worry about his holding ace-queen third. The relevant holdings are ace-small, queen-small, ace-ten third, and queen-ten third. The nine works if he has queen-ten third (one case), the jack works if he has queen-small (one case), and the king works if he has ace-small or ace-ten third (two cases). So the king is the percentage play.

As it turns out, I don't have to make that decision. When I play a spade from dummy, East plays the ace.

East shifts to the diamond queen. I ruff, and West drops the ace. East would have shifted to the diamond queen rather than a low one at trick two if he had queen-jack, so the jack must be on my left.

I cash the king of spades. West follows with the ten, and East discards the ten of diamonds. If I'm right that East has the club queen, could it be dropping? That would give East

♠ A  ♥ K 10 x x x  ♦ Q x x x x  ♣ Q x

He might have opened the bidding with that hand. Anyway, I don't have to decide yet. I might as well exit with a spade to West's queen and see if the opponents help me out. They do. East discards the club four on his partner's spade queen. I'm not playing East to pitch a club from queen third. So I'm taking the finesse.

West switches to the six of clubs. I play low from dummy. East plays the nine, and I win with the king and play a club to the jack. It holds, and I make four.

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

Plus 170 is worth 93%!

My initial assumption about the club queen was wrong. I was right in a sense. It's the fact that West holds the club queen that makes his duck a mistake. Move the club queen to East's hand and the duck doesn't cost. But perhaps West didn't know enough about the layout to realize that.

At most tables, West did take the diamond ace. But at those tables, he had more information. Some Norths passed over two hearts, declining to show their three-card spade support. Now, when South balanced with two spades, West knew he had six spades. Other Norths raised to two spades, showing four-card support they didn't have. This prompted South to make a game try of three spades. Now West was perhaps more inclined to place declarer with the club king. 

In neither case did this information make taking the ace 100%, but it was apparently enough in West's opinion to tip the scales and make it the percentage play. 

The moral? Don't lie when you're going to be dummy. Your lie will be exposed soon enough, and it could backfire in the auction. (Lie all you want if you're going to be declarer. The robots don't even consider the possibility that you are lying and will often make plays that can't possibly gain simply because they don't see how they can fail.)

Free Weekly Instant Tournament - August 30 - Board 3

Board 3
Opponents vulnerable

♠ A 10 9 8 5 4 3  ♥ 8 3  ♦ K  ♣ A 6 5

I open with one spade in first seat. LHO doubles, and partner raises to two spades. RHO bids four hearts. With a ten-card spade fit, I can hardly sell to four hearts. Four spades might make or it might be a good save. So I accept the "transfer" and bid four spades. This is passed around to RHO, who doubles. Everyone passes, and West leads the deuce of hearts.

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

West	North	East	South
Robot	Robot	Robot	Phillip
			1 ♠
Double	2 ♠	4 ♥	4 ♠
Pass	Pass	Double	(All pass)

This isn't an auction where West would be tempted to underlead the heart ace. Since I can't get to dummy to take a spade finesse, it appears I will lose six tricks for minus 500. Four hearts will make, so minus 500 will be a good save.

There is no reason to put up the heart king. Retaining it may make things awkward for the defense. I play low from dummy. East wins with the ten, and I play the eight.

East shifts to the club queen. Ducking isn't 100% safe. West might overtake, give his partner a ruff, and get in with the diamond ace for a second ruff. No. I take it back. If that happens, the king of spades is dropping and I'm still getting out for 500. So ducking is safe. And if clubs are five-two, ducking might make it hard for the opponents to cash their second club in time, in which case I will get out for minus 300. 

I play low, and West plays the club deuce. East continues with the club four. I take my ace, and West follows with the three.

To have any chance of discarding my club loser, I need the diamond ace to be on my right. That doesn't leave West with much of a take-out double. Could he have doubled with

♠ K x  ♥ Q x x  ♦ J x x  ♣ K J x x x ?

If so, I can cash the spade ace, then lead the diamond king. East wins and can do no better than cash his heart ace. He must then put me in dummy for a club discard. This shows the advantage of not wasting the heart king at trick one.

That's a specific layout, though. There's a common swindle that may offer a better chance: Lead the diamond king immediately. The opponents don't know I have seven spades, so the stiff diamond will be unexpected. If West has the diamond ace and East has the spade king (which is likelier than the layout above), then West may duck, trying to deprive me of a dummy entry for a spade finesse.

I lead the diamond king--five--three--eight. It worked!

I cash the apace ace; West discards the six of hearts. I unblock the jack from dummy. 

It's hard to see how I can avoid losing three more tricks. I play a spade to the queen. East wins and returns a spade, which I win with the ten. 

 Maybe I do have a slight chance to save a trick. Here is the current position, with the lead in my hand:

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

I can play a heart to the king. If East wins and returns a heart, I can ruff and run spades. A human West would work out my last card is a club. With the club ten in dummy, there is no reason for East to shift to the club queen from queen third. And if, for some reason, he did, he should pitch his last club to let West know. But robots don't think like that, so West might go wrong. Even a human West might go wrong in desperation, reasoning that, unless my last card is diamond, he already lost the board when he ducked his ace. So his only chance for a decent result is to hope that I have another diamond, even though he is pretty sure I don't.

I play a heart to the king. East takes the ace and takes his partner off the "guess" by returning a diamond, which I ruff. There is no way West can misdiscard now. Down two.

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

Minus 300 is worth 82%. Four spades doubled was a popular contract, but only one other player held it to down two. The two pairs who did better opened a bizarre three spades and played it there. (I would open one spade even if you made the king of diamonds the deuce. Two aces is too much for a three-level pre-empt.)

I'm not sure why North didn't raise three spades to four at those tables. He was lucky it was West who had spade shortness. If it were East, North would regret not bumping up the auction.