Trump suit preference

The defenders on a hand from yesterday’s club Swiss team event would have benefitted from effective use of “trump suit preference”.

EW reached 4♥ on Board 8, with declarer East having shown at least six hearts and game invitational values opposite West’s 12-14 1NT opening.

West ♠ K94 ♥ AQ ♦ K873 ♣ 9864
	South ♠ T62 ♥ K4 ♦ AJ65 ♣ AJT3

The play began as follows: small spade to partner’s jack and declarer’s ace, heart to the queen, ♠K pitching a club, spade ruff, and heart to the ace felling your king.

Next a diamond is led from dummy to declarer’s ten.  Partner has played small cards throughout, as you win the ♦J in this position:

West ♠ — ♥ — ♦ K87 ♣ 9864
	South ♠ — ♥ — ♦ A65 ♣ AJT3

What do you play next?

If partner holds the ♣K, clubs is the suit you want to play.  If partner does not hold the ♣K, clubs is the suit you want to avoid.  Yes, leading diamonds does not look attractive, either, but a diamond play might work if partner was dealt a doubleton diamond and still holds a trump.  If that is the case, then you can play ♦A and a third diamond and partner can ruff away declarer’s queen from an original holding of ♦QTx.

Can you tell?

Well, maybe, and the key will be your partnership’s signaling agreements.  What order did partner play her two small hearts?  Anticipating the club situation, partner should play her hearts from small to large if she holds the ♣A or ♣K; and if she holds neither the ♣A nor ♣K, partner should play her hearts from large to small.

(Some might argue that partner should show her diamond count on the lead from dummy at Trick 5 if she holds a doubleton.  But partner’s diamond plays might be constrained, as the Deep Finesse analysis later in this entry will illustrate.)

At the table, South cashed the ♣A in the shown position, allowing the game contract to make.

Dealer: W – 22 Vul: None	North ♠ QJ8753 ♥ 865 ♦ 92 ♣ Q2
West ♠ K94 ♥ AQ ♦ K873 ♣ 9864		East ♠ A ♥ JT9732 ♦ QT4 ♣ K75
	South ♠ T62 ♥ K4 ♦ AJ65 ♣ AJT3

Perhaps South’s ♣A play smells of panic, but to be truthful South is in a difficult position and would have been greatly aided by having an agreement to use trump suit preference and her partner having played trumps in high-low order.

As an aside, have you noticed the Deep Finesse play for eleven tricks?  Assume the same opening lead as at the table and the following progression of plays: ♠A winning, two rounds of trumps picking up the ♥K, ♠K for a club pitch and a spade ruff.  In hand, declarer draws the last defensive trump.  And now leads the ♦T!  South covers with the jack and dummy wins the ♦K.  Now a diamond to the Q draws the A while simultaneously pinning the nine (see, the nine was an important card, too important for North to have wasted by playing on the first round of diamonds).  Now, the ♦87 in dummy are good for club pitches and South has no good exit card!  Yeh, sure.