The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, October 29th, 2016
What would life be without arithmetic, but a scene of horrors?
Tobias Smollett
| S | North |
|---|---|
| None | ♠ J 6 4 ♥ K 10 4 2 ♦ A 3 ♣ A K 7 6 |
| West | East |
|---|---|
| ♠ Q 8 7 3 2 ♥ J 9 8 6 ♦ J 2 ♣ 9 5 |
♠ A 10 5 ♥ Q 7 ♦ Q 9 5 4 ♣ J 10 8 2 |
| South |
|---|
| ♠ K 9 ♥ A 5 3 ♦ K 10 8 7 6 ♣ Q 4 3 |
| South | West | North | East |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ♦ | Pass | 1 ♥ | Pass |
| 1 NT | Pass | 3 NT | All pass |
♠3
Today’s deal saw a battle between declarer and the defenders in a team game. One table was playing strong no-trump, one weak, but three no-trump was reached pretty quickly in each case.
At both tables West led the spade three to East’s ace and East returned the spade 10. Both declarers won the trick, perforce, and could see that they had nine tricks if clubs broke 3-3, so they correctly went after that suit first by leading the queen then playing to the ace.
When West accurately discarded a heart on the third club, one declarer simply gave up the ghost and tried for a miracle in diamonds. Down he went, but the second declarer found the best shot of exiting with a spade at trick six.
Let us first suppose that West happily cashes his spades, as happened at the table. On the last one East had to keep diamonds and clubs guarded, and now the heart ace and king squeezed East in the minors.
It looks as if it might have be a mistake for West to cash his spades, but suppose instead he had got off lead with a heart at once. Declarer simply maneuvers to duck a heart to East (as West has already had to discard a heart) and now the 13th heart is the game-going trick.
So can three no-trump be defeated? Yes: say that instead of cashing his last spade and setting up the timing for the squeeze, West exits with the heart nine. Now declarer can’t exert any effective pressure.
The opponents have appeared to come to a stop on an auction where your RHO is surely weak with short clubs and thus the opponents have found a fit. How dangerous is it to risk a take-out double? I couldn’t say, but I’m going to find out!
BID WITH THE ACES
| ♠ J 6 4 ♥ K 10 4 2 ♦ A 3 ♣ A K 7 6 |
| South | West | North | East |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 NT | Pass | 2 ♣ | |
| Pass | 2 ♦ | Pass | Pass |
| ? |
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Bridge-related
A variant of TOCM: whenever I try garbage stayman, my partner is guaranteed to be 3=3=2=5 or 3=3=3=4.
Hi Slar,
Dr. Jim2 would no doubt diagnose only a mild case, since his would be 2-2-3-6.
Indeed!
Well, my work here is complete!
Again Hi Slar and in spirit, Dr. Jim2,
On today’s hand, I would have probably won the 2nd round spade with the king, segued to the dummy via the queen and another club, to the king and then have triumphantly led the jack of spades planning to throw from hand 2 diamonds and a low club and from dummy two hearts, only finding West to have started the hand with:
s. Q87532
h. QJ
d. QJ
c. 1095
leaving East with s. A10, h. 9876, d. 9542, c.J82
When I then asked West about his 4th best leads which were checked on his convention card, he merely explained: “What difference could it possibly make between the 5 or the 3″ and BTW how hard does one have to work to be able to play really good bridge”?
Final note: I would have taken 12 tricks if I would have seen fit to cash them since East gets caught in a heart diamond squeeze when I cash the 13th club.
Move over Jim2, you have company!
🙂
In the third room, E played the S10 on the opening lead, and now declarer had no chance. What thinkest thou of E’s play?
Hi David, Bobby,
Neat but doesn’t declarer play a spade back and we revert to the column?
Iain
Iain: If declarer does as you indicate, you may be right. But seriously, what declarer would lead back a spade at trick 2? After all, among other problems, what if spades are 6-2? Surely declarer will hope for clubs to be 3-3, and down he goes.
Hi David,
The fourth best lead (most common treatment in the USA and probably the world) of the three will, at least to the naked eye, deny holding more than five, and even if the defenders were playing attitude leads (low from a good holding, usually more than four) it would still seem like the correct percentage declarer play since the likelihood of a squeeze developing with those various side suit holdings appears right for the plucking.
And then adding only about a 36% chance for a 3-3 club break, with no bonuses thrown in like including good club spots (especially the ten) merely adds more fuel for that fire.
And especially with some overall experience of playing against very good players, it seems to me that “fooling partner” with a non-conventional opening lead seems not to be popular since the opening lead is blind and very good opponents do not usually like to play partner for a foil in a scam, before anyone has seen an opposing card since some may interpret to do so, is to show either some lack of confidence in their own defensive partnership or worse, trying to be a unilateral hero rather than just accept the reasoning which goes along with defending down the middle, at least before any specificcards are known.
Certainly not fool proof, but only what I think percentage.