Declaring at the club

Some well-declared hands at the club today.

Len Aberbach found a nice endplay declaring 3NT.

Dealer: E Vul: Both	North ♠ T7432 ♥ 962 ♦ T32 ♣ J3
West ♠ 985 ♥ 543 ♦ QJ76 ♣ KT4		East ♠ AQ6 ♥ AJ7 ♦ AK9 ♣ A965
	South ♠ KJ ♥ KQT8 ♦ 854 ♣ Q872

After opening 2♣ , then rebidding 2NT as dealer, Len declared 3NT against a lead of ♥K.  North discouraged and East let him hold the lead.  South switched to a diamond.  Len played three more rounds of that suit, with North and East pitching spades and South a club.  A club was led from dummy to the nine and queen.  South exited with a club and Len ran three more tricks in that suit, South pitching a heart, West a heart and North one from each major.  Having lost a heart and a club and won four diamonds and three clubs, the four-card end position was:

Dealer: Vul:	North ♠ T74 ♥ 9 ♦ — ♣ —
West ♠ 98 ♥ 54 ♦ — ♣ —		East ♠ AQ ♥ AJ ♦ — ♣ —
	South ♠ KJ ♥ QT ♦ — ♣ —

Reading the position perfectly, Len strip squeezed South with ♥A and ♥J to his queen, forcing a spade return from KJ into Len’s AQ for the ninth and tenth tricks.

Two more nice declare results followed reluctances by the defense to lead trumps.

Dealer: S Vul: NS	North ♠ 2 ♥ 863 ♦ KQ72 ♣ QT632
West ♠ AJ73 ♥ A9742 ♦ 5 ♣ AK4		East ♠ T964 ♥ — ♦ JT9643 ♣ J65
	South ♠ KQ85 ♥ KQJT5 ♦ A8 ♣ 97

I would have liked to have a better spots in the spade suit for my four card overcall, but I took the plunge nonetheless.  After all, goes my excuse, why can’t partner have Kxxxx, x, xxxx, xxx?  Partner’s 3♠ call catches my approval, but at the table I was surely hoping for a bit more.

North led a telling ♥3, suggesting that heart suit was splitting 3-5.  With only three side suit tricks, I needed to score seven of my eight trumps.  A trump lead at any time would probably scuttle my contract, but noone had led a trump yet.  I ruffed the heart in dummy and led a diamond from dummy to prepare for future ruffs in my hand.  South hopped with the ♦A and, thankfully, did not lead a trump but instead played back the ♣9.  I won the ♣K, ♥A (pitching a club from dummy), ♣A, and ruffed a third heart small in dummy.  A diamond ruff in hand followed. I played a fourth round of hearts, ruffing with the ♠9.  South erred by allowing me to ruff a diamond in hand with my ♠7 (see, I knew I should have had better spade spots for my overcall!).  At this point, I have lost only the ♦A and have won two clubs, a heart, three heart ruffs in dummy and two diamonds in hand for eight tricks.  The four card end position was:

Dealer: Vul:	North ♠ 2 ♥ — ♦ K ♣ QT
West ♠ AJ ♥ 9 ♦ — ♣ 4		East ♠ T ♥ — ♦ JT9 ♣ —
	South ♠ KQ85 ♥ ♦ ♣

A club to dummy’s ♠T was overruffed by South.  Now South had to play a trump and my ♠AJ would be my ninth and tenth winners.

Another hand where soft defense led to a made 4♠ contract was played by Len.

Dealer: E Vul: Both	North ♠ AK ♥ KJ832 ♦ KQ832 ♣ 3
West ♠ Q74 ♥ QT9654 ♦ AT7 ♣ T		East ♠ JT962 ♥ A ♦ — ♣ AJ87642
	South ♠ 853 ♥ 7 ♦ J9654 ♣ KQ95

After a competitive auction that is perhaps better left unprinted (but which disclosed the NS diamond fit and East’s excessive number of black cards), South forewent the advertised trump lead and instead led her singleton heart, ridden around to Len’s ♥A.  ♣A and a small club ruffed small in dummy, surprisingly overruffed by the ♠K … but also advertising the ownership of the spades between the four and the king.  North chose to return a heart and a small trump from East was overruffed by South.  Another club from South (!) was ruffed by the seven and overruffed by the ♠A.  Well, isn’t this an odd way to draw trumps, as East retained four of his original five spades while the opponents now held only the 85 of spades?  A heart back was ruffed by the ♠9, and the club suit established with a ruff with dummy’s ♠Q.  Len cashed the ♦A and ruffed a diamond small in hand.  The ♠JT drew South’s remaining trumps and East’s hand was all good black cards, 4♠ made.