Undoing the Deed

Playing in a club Swiss on Friday morning, I held ♠J5, ♥A, ♦KQJT72, ♣J974.  At none vul, I heard dealer to my right open 3♠.  I evaluated the four level as too rich to overcall diamonds with this hand.  LHO’s 4♠ raise ended the bidding.

Seems normal to lead the ♥A.  I saw this dummy.

 

North ♠   J5 ♥   A ♦   KQJT72 ♣   J974
	East ♠   K2 ♥   QJ84 ♦   54 ♣   AKQ65

 

A small heart was called from dummy, partner played the ♥5 (right side up signaling), and declarer played the ♥6.

What is your defensive plan?

It is hard to envisage a set unless partner holds both the ♥K (as suggested by noting that two lower heart cards are still unseen) and the ♦A and so I “placed” those two cards in his hand.  If declarer holds only one diamond (meaning partner has four diamonds), however, only one diamond trick will cash. 

To cover the maximum chances for a set in case declarer did own only one diamond, I chose to lead the deceptive ♦J (perhaps the ♦Q is a slightly better choice) at Trick 2.  I thus “forced” partner to win the ♦A at Trick 2. 

Having seen me switch to diamonds even though he had encouraged a continuation of hearts, partner should read me for a stiff ♥A.  Accordingly, he will/should readily cash the ♥K at Trick 3.

If partner has from three to five hearts, he will no doubt continue a heart at Trick 4 and my ruff will set the contract.  I would next try to cash a diamond for a two trick set.

But if partner has exactly six hearts*, he will realize that a Trick 4 heart will not set the contract unless there is a trump promotion.  (A trump promotion is possible if: (a) I hold ♠Qx and declarer chooses to ruff with a non ace or to ruff with the ace and not to next run the ♠T; or (b) partner holds ♠Qx and I hold my actual ♠Jx.)  How can I get partner to consider the more likely possibility of a second diamond cashing, given that my deceptive lead of the ♦J at Trick 2 suggests to him that declarer now owns the master diamond(s)?

By discarding the ♦K on the Trick 3 ♥K, that’s how!  Clearly I cannot afford to discard the ♦K unless I also held the ♦Q.  And so Undoing the Deed of my Trick 2 deception will/should clue partner into leading a diamond for me to cash.  (He is unlikely to try for a trump promotion once he sees the ♦K, too, because if I held seven diamonds to the KQJ as well as the stiff ♥A, I might well have overcalled 4♦.)

I would love to report that declarer had only one diamond and more than two hearts so that the alternative, mundane defense of leading the ♦K at Trick 2 might not work (in case partner let the ♦K hold and encouraged a diamond continuation that declarer would then ruff).  Alas declarer was 7=2=2=2 and any defense should work to set the contract.

 

Dealer: W #8 Vul: None	North ♠   J5  ♥   A  ♦   KQJT72 ♣   J974
West ♠   AQT9743 ♥   76 ♦   93 ♣   T8		East ♠   K2 ♥   QJ84 ♦   54 ♣   AKQ65
	South ♠   86 ♥   KT9532 ♦   A86 ♣   32

* In retrospect, a six card heart holding by partner could have been inferred by me, once I concluded that the ♥5 at Trick 1 is an encouraging card.  If partner held the ♥7, he would have signaled with that card instead of the ♥5, and partner might reasonably have concluded that the ♥T and ♥9 looked too important with which to signal.  That’s pretty subtle, though, and so I still prefer my at-the-table switch to ♦J (or ♦Q) at Trick 2, when followed by my ♦K discard on the ♥K at Trick 3.