Jeff Lehman

Can you read the end position?

 

N
North
A842
2
AJ9
AQ983
8
S
South
KJ7
AK107
Q1053
J5
South
North
1NT1
22
2
3
3NT
(1) 12-14
(2) Game forcing Stayman

At a club matchpoint game (board 9 of December 23 Temple Reyim morning game, directions reversed to show South as declarer), your opponents are a Grand Life Master to your right and a client to your left.  The opening lead is the 8.  You insert the jack, which loses to RHO’s king.  RHO returns the 3.  You choose to rise with the K (do you?), as LHO plays the 9.  You pass the J, losing to RHO’s king.  Back comes another small heart.  You again rise (do you?), this time with the A, pitching a spade from dummy.  You play a second club to dummy’s queen.  RHO pitches a diamond.  Ycch, the club finesse you earlier lost was to a singleton king.

You cash out your three winning diamonds.  LHO pitches a club and then, after some long thinking, a spade.  From dummy, you pitch a club.  RHO pitches a heart on the last diamond.

Time to assess what is going on.  In the five card end position below where declarer is on lead, you have lost two tricks (to the minor suit kings) and won six tricks (one club, three diamonds, and two hearts).  You know that LHO was dealt five clubs and two diamonds and that RHO was dealt four diamonds and one club.

N
North
A84
A9
 
S
South
KJ7
107

 

LHO holds Tx and three major suit cards.  RHO holds five major suit cards.  Certainly indications are that RHO was dealt at least five hearts.

You also know that LHO cannot profitably lead clubs, as that would allow you to take the marked finesse of the 9. 

The best play now depends upon LHO’s heart holding:

1. If LHO is out of hearts, you can throw her in with a club.  Lead to the A in dummy, cash the A and play the 9, pitching hearts from hand.  She would, under this scenario, have to then return a spade into your KJ.  You surely do not want to play hearts, because RHO can cash enough winners in that suit to set you.

2. If LHO is left with a stiff Q, you can exit with your 7.  She would then be faced with the favorable-to-you options of leading a club to allow you to win the 9 or leading a spade into your KJ.

3.  If LHO is left with a singleton J, you can also exit with your 7.  If LHO is allowed to win the trick, the play progresses exactly as in the above paragraph.  If RHO overtakes his partner’s J with his Q, your T is established as the master heart.

4.  If LHO is left with a singleton small heart, you had better cash your winners in dummy, pitching a heart on the A, and consider whether or not to risk the contract for the potential of an overtrick from a successful spade finesse. In this scenario, the club throw-in will cause you to lose three more tricks (and the contract) via the club and two top hearts; while exiting with a heart causes you to lose two hearts and to need a third spade trick just to make your contract.

So far as I can divine, the only clues are from LHO’s play of the 9 on the first round of hearts and her apparent consternation before pitching a spade on the last winning diamond.  In addition, you might read something about her spade holding into the fact that her opening lead was a diamond from a small doubleton rather than a spade from a probable three or four card holding that might or might not include the Q.

Assuming you agree with the play to this stage (do you?), what play would you choose in the shown end position?

 

 

 

At the table, I tried the club throw in.  The actual hand was:

 
N
North
A842
2
AJ9
AQ983
 
W
West
Q65
Q96
82
107642
 
E
East
1093
J8543
K764
K
 
S
South
KJ7
AK107
Q1053
J5
 

 

LHO cashed a winner in each rounded suit, and I claimed nine tricks only.  Ten tricks were available to me either by cashing winners, felling the Q to establish my J, or by exiting with a small heart from my hand.

I think, in retrospect, that I could have dismissed Scenario 1.  There would be no reason for LHO to hesitate before throwing a spade on the last diamond if she held no hearts, because she clearly cannot afford to pitch a club and so a spade discard is mandated.   In addition, I might have questioned the possibility of Scenario 4: would the client LHO have been up to understanding the importance of keeping a small heart as a bridge to her partner’s good hearts, as opposed to her focusing solely on maintaining her own possibly winning cards?  With benefit of hindsight, and the removal of time pressure, I think that I should have found the play of exiting with the 7.  At the table, that would have led to ten tricks without regard to who held the Q.


4 Comments

LakDecember 24th, 2013 at 6:01 pm

As I was reading, I thought the column was going to be about not telegraphing that you hold Qxx when forced to make an unappetizing discard. With a small heart, she’d have throw the heart and kept Qxx of spades.

But wait, your synagogue runs bridge games? How cool is that?

p.s. I wish I’d known a few months ago that Newton was near Boston … I could saved myself an awful time at the Bridge Spot … http://bridgemishaps.blogspot.com/2013/06/were-they-fixed.html

Greg NowakDecember 25th, 2013 at 4:17 pm

I want to put a second club finesse at at least 60%. After it wins who would not enjoy playing this hand? After it loses who would still not enjoy playing it?

Robin HillyardFebruary 2nd, 2014 at 3:42 pm

Lak: I haven’t seen your blog on the bridge spot game but I can assure you that it is a fine institution. I regularly play at both clubs and differences are minor. My biggest issue with the Spot is that the never run movements with two sets of boards in order to avoid having more than 24 boards in play.

Jeff: why wouldn’t you finesse the C9 on the second club play? But then you wouldn’t have had a story I suppose.

Jeff LehmanFebruary 2nd, 2014 at 4:10 pm

With regard to the two suggestions to finesse the C9 on the second club play, no, I did not even consider that play. Can’t East own KT or KTx of clubs?

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