Free Weekly Instant Tournament - July 25 - Board 2

Board 2
Our side vulnerable

♠ Q 9 7 5 4 3  ♥ A K 6  ♦ Q 7  ♣ Q 5

RHO bids one club. I overcall with one spade, and LHO raises to three clubs, pre-emptive. Partner bids three hearts, and I go on to four. RHO leads the jack of hearts.

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

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

Not quite the hand I was expecting. If three hearts was non-forcing, partner should have a better heart suit. If it was forcing (as I presume most would play it), partner should have a better hand, especially given he has a singleton in my suit. A responsive double seems more to the point. Although I doubt we'd get to game after that. So I can hardly complain if we make this.

We're missing 17 HCP. Since West didn't lead a high club, East rates to have either the ace or king of clubs. If he has another king, that leaves West with at most 11 HCP. Since West appears to be balanced, he must have at least 12. So West should have both the spade and diamond kings.

What else do I know? East holds at least five clubs for his three-club bid, so West holds three or four. Since the robots open one diamond with four-four in the minors, West can't hold four diamonds. Either diamonds are three-three or West holds king doubleton. 

OK. I have a provisional construction. What are my prospects? I have to lose two clubs and a diamond, so I can't afford another loser. I need trumps to break and I need to avoid a diamond loser. 

Two basic plans are possible. I can try to set up spades or I can try to set up diamonds. To set up spades, I need the king of spades to be doubleton or third. I already know I can set up diamonds, provided I can manage to ruff one safely. That seems like the better plan unless it presents difficulties.

Does it? I can't afford to ruff a diamond with an honor. So I must rise with the ace or king on this trick to preserve a low trump to ruff with. Then I play a spade to my ace and a diamond up. West hops with ace. The defense cashes two clubs and plays another trump. I must win in dummy with the other honor. Now I ruff a spade to my hand and play a diamond. If West was three-two in the red suits, he can ruff high in front of dummy to score the setting trick.

Note the defense has to cash two clubs before leading the second trump for this to work. If they don't, I can pitch a club from dummy when West ruffs in, then later score a club ruff. They might not find this defense, so I might survive on this line even if West is three-two in the red suits.

How about setting up spades? I'll need lots of dummy entries, so I must start by winning this trick in my hand with the queen. Now ace of spades, heart to dummy, spade ruff, heart to dummy spade ruff. If the king of spades has ruffed out, dummy's spades are good. But so what? I have no way to get there. I've drawn three rounds of trump and ruffed twice, so I'm out of trump. If I lead toward the diamond queen, West hops and cashes oodles of club tricks.

Setting up spades doesn't work, so I have to set up diamonds. If West is three-two in the red suits, let's hope they misdefend.

I rise with the heart ace. East plays the heart nine. Interesting. The ten is the only heart out higher than my spots. That may solve my problem in the trump suit.

I play a spade--deuce--ace--six. Now a diamond. West hops with the king, and East follows with the four.

West shifts to the three of hearts. This is the current position, with dummy to play:

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

I was intending to rise with the king, saving the low heart to ruff with. But, since the ten is the only high heart left, there is no longer any reason to do that. I can duck the heart to my hand. If East plays the ten, all my hearts are high. If he doesn't, I win the heart cheaply. Now I can ruff a diamond with the king and still have the queen in my hand to draw the last trump. 

I play the six of hearts from dummy. East discards the four of clubs. Oops. West began with four hearts. That changes things.

If diamonds are three-three, I'm still OK. West kindly gave me the contract by picking up the heart suit for me. But what if they aren't? I can't ruff out the diamonds without setting up a trump trick. So I might as well just concede a diamond, losing two diamonds and two clubs for down one.

Will that work? Let's say I draw the third round of trumps, cash the diamond queen, and ruff a spade to my hand. There is one trump outstanding. This will be the position, with the lead in my hand:

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

No, it doesn't work. I'm tapped out. If I draw the last trump, cash the diamond ace, and diamonds don't split, I lose the last four tricks for down two.

Perhaps I can hold it to down one if West is 3-4-2-4. In that case, I can ruff out the spade king for an extra trick.

Let's see if that works. Say I win the heart six in dummy, ruff a spade, play a diamond to the queen, and ruff another spade, dropping the king. Now we're down to this position, with the lead in my hand:

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

Dummy's spades are good, but I can't use them. I don't see any way to take more than two tricks. I still lose four tricks at the end for down two. I might has well just draw trump and hope diamonds are three-three.

I cash the king of hearts and the diamond queen and ruff a spade to my hand. Now I draw the last trump and cash the diamond ace. Diamonds split, so I make my game. Nice three-heart bid, partner. 

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

Plus 620 is worth 100%. But 170 would have been worth 100% as well. As is often the case at matchpoints, you don't need to bid a game. You just need to make it.

Why did no one else take ten tricks? Apparently everyone had the same blind spot. When West continued hearts at trick four, everyone rose with the king. I don't know if they didn't notice that East played the heart nine at trick one or they didn't see that there was nothing to be gained by rising.

Anyway, that's two 100% boards to start the event. It's going to be all downhill from here.