Well bid hands at the Club IMP pairs
Partner Len Aberbach of Wayland, MA, helped bid to great contracts on two hands in today’s club IMP pairs event.
Board 14:
4♥ basically depends only upon trumps breaking no worse than 4-2.
Meanwhile, 3NT can be set whenever NS can win four spades before the ♥A is dislodged. Even if the ♠J wins a trick, when spades are 5-3 and the defense keeps its transportation fluid by allowing NS to win the first or second spade trick, NS can prevail. When EW attacks hearts – as they must – the defense will be in position to have won four spade tricks along with the ♥A.
The key bid was Len’s 3♥ call, warning me against notrump and presumptively showing Hx in hearts.
Board 8:
5♣ basically depends upon avoiding a trump loser. By contrast, 3NT can be set if North can reach South with an immediate major suit entry and then South can lead a diamond through West.
The key bid was Len’s pass of 4♦, when a double might have been the call I was anticipating.
Alas, neither of these two boards was quite the bonanza we had hoped for. On Board 14, 7 pairs allowed 3NT to make, so that our +420 gained against datum only +3.07. On Board 8, South had no entry and so 3NT by West made easily for one pair while two other pairs who reached 5♣ were doubled (OK, one pair went down in 5♣ and one pair went down in 6♣), and +400 won only 5.27 IMPs to datum.
Subscribe to our feed
Bridge-related
we were in 4 hearts but got there a different way.
I realize I have overstated the ease of making 4H. Repeated spade leads, shortening declarer's trumps, threaten the contract … but dummy's spades are just strong enough to ultimately counter the force.
For example, assume two rounds of spades, with the second round ruffed. Then, two rounds of hearts with the ace winning the second round. Then, another spade, ruffed again by declarer. At this point South has one more trump than declarer and N-S has won both major suit aces. No matter. Declarer can draw one of the trumps (with his last trump) and play on clubs forcing South to ruff in with his last trump. At this point E-W can claim with top tricks in each side suit.
If you allow the defense to ruff one of your clubs, don’t you have only 9 tricks — 4 hearts, 3 clubs and 2 diamonds? The opponents get 2 hearts and a spade, and you still have your third diamond to lose. The right line of play, I believe, is to pitch your diamond loser on second spade and ruff the third one. Now you will still survive if the player with the ace of trumps has no further spade with which to tap you (or, of course if trumps are 3-3).
Thanks to Jeff Aker for his expert input.
Jeff Aker’s suggested declarer play — the loser-on-loser play on the second round of spades is required to make the contract, I think, when the continuation after a high spade lead is a low spade toward the queen. If South’s defense slips slightly by continuing with a second high spade, dummy will soon own the master spade that can be reached in clubs for a pitch of declarer’s losing diamond.
At the table, I was favored with a soft defense of a diamond at Trick 2. So, it was easy to draw trumps before cashing four club tricks.
it seems that if spades are 4-4 and hearts 4-2, that 4H must always go down 1. 5C appears to be a superior contract.