It has been said, “Sometimes, beautiful things come in small packages” and indeed it is a small package when South, the declarer, has rebid 3NT, while holding the singleton ace in an unbid suit.
No, it doesn’t give the whole hand away, primarily due to being almost impossible for the defense to even attempt to visualize anywhere near, South’s overall holding, but instead, at trick two when declarer plays the club ace from dummy before leading the high diamond from dummy, it, while definitely not looking like a gift from Xmas, does appear to be “on the way to a hopeful nine tricks, including the obvious king of clubs held in hand”.
Therefore, in return it should almost never be wrong to duck the first high diamond from dummy, under the theory that he will NEVER (well, almost) then, while possessing a singleton
diamond be able to risk, now continuing with a small diamond, from dummy.
So, it then, might just then unveil something close enough to declarer’s actual hand to try and throw a spanner in the mix, by ducking and then, of course, waiting for the declarer to continue with another diamond, high or low as the case may be, but positive (or close) that unless he was there when this hand was pre-dealt he will not now dare risk a low diamond from dummy, next (while beginning with a singleton).
If one argues that South, by whatever count signals his opponents now play, reads it right to now continue with a low diamond, I would love to always play with that declarer in every other bridge tournament, as well as alternatively have him perched on my shoulder, at whatever cost, so that I could win every future tournament I will ever enter (or, much more likely, the one who either made up that hand or was close by when it was duplicated).
No less, but not necessary to say more, since reality always, if not sooner, eventually sets in..
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Hi Everyone,
It has been said, “Sometimes, beautiful things come in small packages” and indeed it is a small package when South, the declarer, has rebid 3NT, while holding the singleton ace in an unbid suit.
No, it doesn’t give the whole hand away, primarily due to being almost impossible for the defense to even attempt to visualize anywhere near, South’s overall holding, but instead, at trick two when declarer plays the club ace from dummy before leading the high diamond from dummy, it, while definitely not looking like a gift from Xmas, does appear to be “on the way to a hopeful nine tricks, including the obvious king of clubs held in hand”.
Therefore, in return it should almost never be wrong to duck the first high diamond from dummy, under the theory that he will NEVER (well, almost) then, while possessing a singleton
diamond be able to risk, now continuing with a small diamond, from dummy.
So, it then, might just then unveil something close enough to declarer’s actual hand to try and throw a spanner in the mix, by ducking and then, of course, waiting for the declarer to continue with another diamond, high or low as the case may be, but positive (or close) that unless he was there when this hand was pre-dealt he will not now dare risk a low diamond from dummy, next (while beginning with a singleton).
If one argues that South, by whatever count signals his opponents now play, reads it right to now continue with a low diamond, I would love to always play with that declarer in every other bridge tournament, as well as alternatively have him perched on my shoulder, at whatever cost, so that I could win every future tournament I will ever enter (or, much more likely, the one who either made up that hand or was close by when it was duplicated).
No less, but not necessary to say more, since reality always, if not sooner, eventually sets in..