Not cashing the spade suit pretty clearly announces that one is building the ninth trick, and in what suit.

Declarer often does better by making the defenders make discarding decisions early. Here, East would have to pitch three times before seeing a non-spade from either other player. Maybe the key suit for the defense is hearts (as in the column) but maybe declarer holds a small club doubleton, and there may be others.

Even if East pitches three clubs, the first pitch from the other hands would likely both be diamonds, and now East must pitch a fourth card, and then a 5th, but we can see East must keep all three hearts in this six card ending.

Hi Jim2,

I certainly agree to your overall premise of, by not running the obvious spade suit in dummy, South by playing clubs immediately puts pressure on his opponents to, upon winning the club ace choosing the right red suit to defeat the contract.

Note also that if West not East possessed the club ace and if the heart honors (A&K) were divided with West having no more than 3 (considering the opening lead fairly likely) the contract is safe, Upon running the spades South would no doubt throw 2 diamonds and a club, but since West knows who has the diamond ace he could (should make it obvious to his partner that a heart shift is called for) and furthermore West (and for that matter East) will know that if South has the club ace it only is a question of overtricks.

However, your strategy is certainly valid and therefore worth discussing, but on this specific layout and after the opening lead, it is possible that West has a diamond holding, A106542, A108542 or A10852 which if so, West, by having a chance to discard diamonds, would then be denying that possibility.

However, when West shows up with one club, and since South has denied a 4+ card major South then must have 4+ diamonds so only the A10852 held by West will represent a chance to defeat 3NT as viewed by a world class East.

Yes, as you know, playing high-level bridge is not recommended for players who only want to enjoy it, not to become world beaters.

I would note that “West shows up with one club” cannot possibly occur until after East has made 5 discards.

In addition, West will have three opportunities to fatally pitch a heart during the run of the spade suit.

Hi Jim2,

With the configuration of the spade suit, East having only 1, will give him a chance to immediately signal the ace of clubs before West has to decide what to discard. But even if East didn’t or couldn’t make that signal, West will immediately recognize that if declarer has the club ace, it is only a question of overtricks, therefore realistically forcing West to assume that East has that card. At the completion of trick one West will be in possession of that truth, although certainly not for East until his partner begins to throw away diamonds.

However your premise about running a long suit early is usually excellent strategy to result in more defensive mistakes.

Accurate also is the view that forcing the defense to guess before getting a chance to signal with discards is often the better line.

On this hand, I am just not sure which is better and felt the “running the long suit” line deserved some discussion.

Hi Mr. Wolff and Jim2;
I enjoy your comments and discussions on today’s hands. The third possibility would be to go to dummy via a high spade and then lead a small club from the table, pretending to hold club Kxx in declarer’s hand? How many East do you think would fly the club ace and lead a heart? One should also discount any East who play the club ace and then lead a diamond. I usually would play a small club or ace follow by a diamond in case like this unless I found some reasons to do otherwise.
Wen Tao

Hi Wen,

Since the game was IMPs and not matchpoints, I think most competent East’s would fly ace and lead a red suit.

When West follows with a club, East then knows that declarer, South, had at least 4 diamonds (because of the Stayman denial of a 4 card major). Also the rule of eleven, assuming West had led 4th best shows that originally declarer had 3 cards higher than the five. If then the opening leader had started with A10852 the diamond 9 return would get the job done, but any different combination would fail.

That possibility would need to be considered as against A10xx in hearts or better and then chosen.

At least to me, East would fly with the ace of clubs if he held it and then decide which red suit to next lead.

No doubt at that point, but not until then, would the guessing begin. Don’t we have fun?

Yes, unless we have trouble recovering from a miss-guess.

Some high-level bridge scholars might suggest that declarer winning the first diamond with the queen instead of the king may suggest that Terence Reese’s restricted choice then took effect, making it unlikely that he had the king, but rather the ace (actual). They might then make the killing heart shift and believe that they did it for the right reason and who could argue?

Thanks for your thoughts and sophisticated analysis.

Jim2: you say that “E must keep all 3H in this 6-card ending”. No; he can pitch either the J or the K, but he’s gotta hang on to that precious 9. Of course, it helps that W has the H8.

Fair enough.

This hand when compared to yesterday’s further illustrates for me the delicate balance between 4 of a major versus 3 NT. Today a 9 card fit plays better in NT, yesterday an 8 card fit many preferred the major suit. What’s a novice to do? Today with 4333 S stayed in NT, but N, with a 6 card suit, and a singleton, opposite NT, did not correct to spade game (good choice, as cards are today). Luck or skill?

Agreed with Joe1, how do you analyze when to stay in 3NT even when there is a guaranteed solid fit from N perspective?

Take your best shot and sometimes you will be right, sometimes it won’t matter, etc. Just hope TOCM ™ does not infect you, as it has me.

🙂

On a somewhat more serious note, on the last Board of one CANDU team of four I thought we needed a swing. In a notrump auction, I knew we had a 5-3 spade fit but went for 3N. I had some table feel back in those days (1982?) and LHO seemed entirely too tranquil at the spade fit revelation. Well, 9 were there as long as I disdained the finesse and led to the board’s spade honor instead. 10 were never there. Got the swing and won. Yay! Not a World but one must celebrate what one gets.

Hi Mr. Wolff,
Thanks very much for your thoughts and well reasoned analyses.
Best regards,
Wen

Hi Joe1,

No one ever has said, or at the very least meant, that judgment in bridge is easy.

Whatever stage you are in, and although being somewhat a rather late entry to the game, and relatively new at it, it does present variety in the form of constant hurdles to consistent success.

Suit contracts have to do with restricting losers via at least a minimum of eight trumps out of 13 altogether held by the declaring side together with side suit establishment, maximizing tricks taken by clever use of card combinations and concentrating on finishing the hand, in the end game, of forcing your worthy opponents into playing 1st and 3rd to tricks to your 2nd and 4th.

With NT and shorter routes to game, 9 tricks instead of 10 or 11, the keys are sources of tricks, timing in the play including playing from the right side of the table in order to guard against immediate disaster, and making sure or at least being aware of attempting to not let your adversaries develop 5 tricks to be taken before you secure the necessary 9.

All the above is just the appetizer to the wonderful tune of consistent success, made up of total concentration, partner responsibility, and attention to detail.

At the beginning, pretend you are on an island with a wonderful partner of your own choosing, attempting to “shock the world” with your gleaned knowledge of the greatest mind game ever invented and never back down from intimidation, unlucky results or even hell or high water. Continue to bounce back with complete resilliance in search of your partnership’s Holy Grail.

Always play the game according to its written and unwritten rules, never being anything but ethical, and treat winning and losing the same way, since being great at bridge will demand losing on so many occasions that may disappoint others, but never your partnership.

And what is more, by doing so, you will become better than you would ever have dreamed or of course, suspected.