Free Weekly Instant Tournament - May 10 - Board 1

Board 1
Neither side vulnerable

♠ A K 10 9 5 4  ♥ A 7 2  ♦ Q 4  ♣ 9 7

Partner passes, and RHO opens with one heart. I bid one spade. The auction continues pass--two clubs--pass to me.

If partner has a stiff spade and six good clubs, it could be right to pass. But this is a pretty good hand, so game isn't out of the question. And my suit offers decent play opposite a singleton. So I bid two spades. Everyone passes, and West leads the five of hearts.

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

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

Passing two clubs would have worked out poorly. One usually has a better suit than this for a two-level advance, although partner did have a tough decision over one spade. I probably would have tried one notrump. Advancing one notrump without a stopper in opener's suit is sometimes the best choice with an awkward hand. The fact the suit wasn't raised offers some hope that partner has it stopped. And if he doesn't, you may manage seven tricks anyway after they run their suit.

In two spades, I have five losers if spades break. My best chance for an overtrick is to find the club ace onside--or for East to make a mistake and win the first club when clubs are three-three. East is quite likely to make that mistake. The robots don't give count when declarer plays a suit, so East will have no way to tell whether I have a stiff club or a doubleton.

What's the best play in the spade suit? In isolation, it's right to cash one honor, then get to dummy and lead low to the nine in case East has queen-jack fourth. On this deal, letting West gain the lead for a diamond shift looks like a bad idea. And, since East has five or six hearts, he's unlikely to have four spades anyway. So cashing the ace and king looks better.

Suppose I win the heart ace, cash ace and king of spades, and lead a club to the king. losing to East's ace. East can now lead hearts. If West has the last trump, he can overruff the fourth round to switch to a diamond, preventing me from using the club suit. 

Maybe cashing the ace and king of spades isn't such a good idea after all. Does drawing only one round of trumps and playing a club work better? Perhaps. If East takes the club ace and cashes hearts, we reach this position:

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

Now if East plays another heart, I pitch a diamond, and West ruffs with an honor. I must decide whether to play West for honor doubleton or queen-jack third of spades. But if I decide correctly, I make an overtrick, trading my diamond loser for a natural trump trick.

Drawing only one trump has another advantage: If West happens to have the club ace, it leaves me with a hand entry so I can lead clubs toward dummy twice. So this looks like the best line.

I play a low heart from dummy. East plays the eight and I win with the ace. I cash the ace of spades--seven--three--deuce. Now the nine of clubs. West hops with the ace, and East follows with the three. This looks promising. I'm probably making three now.

West shifts to the jack of clubs, and East ruffs my king with the spade six. I take that back about making three.

Here is the current position:

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

I've lost two tricks, I still have two hearts to lose, and the queen and jack of trumps are still out. There is no way to avoid losing a trump trick. If the trumps are split, West can score an overruff on the fourth round of hearts. 

East cashes two hearts, switches to the king of diamonds, and eventually scores his trump trick. Making two.

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

Plus 110 is worth 93%. Almost everyone played the same contract and went down.

Drawing one round of trumps proved to be critical. Most declarers didn't bother and played a club at trick two. Now West can hop, give his partner a ruff, then ruff the third round of hearts with the trump declarer forgot to draw. He then switches to a diamond. After declarer takes dummy's ace, we've reached this position, with the lead in dummy:

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

Declarer has lost four tricks. He can afford to lose a diamond or a spade but not both. This is possible double dummy. Declarer plays the club queen and, when East ruffs with an honor, declarer pitches his diamond and takes the rest of the tricks. If West has the remaining trump honor, however, this line will enable West to score a trump promotion. In that case, declarer must overruff East's honor with the king and cash the ace, drawing the remaining two trumps. The overruff is arguably the better line. In practice, no one who played a club at trick two managed to make his contract.

I can't say I saw the necessity of drawing a round of trumps. But I didn't see any reason not to either, so why not?  

Note that drawing two rounds of trumps does fail. West can hop on the first club and switch to diamonds. Now declarer can't avoid losing two spades, two hearts, a diamond, and a club.