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

|

♠ 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.