November 13, 2013 – I Need a Miracle … Every Day

Sometimes our contracts turn out to be pretty hopeless.  This can be caused by bad breaks, or poor bidding.  Sunday both factors contributed.  Still, even when things look really bleak, there are usually a few slim chances left, and you, as declarer, have to play for those.  When you need a miracle, ask, and maybe, ye shall receive. 

The bidding Sunday was pretty rough.  For instance, on board 6, East-West held:

With only 19 high-card points, and not much of a fit, I would not expect any bidding beyond two diamonds, or, perhaps, two spades.  Our pair bid to two notrump, four down, -400.  Ouch.  No problem, the other table bid up to three notrump, and also ended up down four.  A push.

Board two was another troubling push, but I have a lot of sympathy for the auction at our table.  East held

and heard this auction, with North-South vulnerable:

What would you bid?

This is quite tough.  Partner would have shown a very good hand by bidding only three spades, so partner must have close to ten tricks in hand.  You have great support, a big singleton, and a side king.  That  suggests bidding on.  On the downside, partner rates to have shortness somewhere.  If partner is short in either minor suit, then some of our values are duplicated.  Partner might easily hold a hand like AKxxxxx AKx Kx x, where the five level is too high.  The decision here is quite close.

At the other table, South did not open, and the auction there was:

Your call? 

This is easy.  You have good support, and a crucial singleton, and can express that in one call.  Four diamonds is a clear-cut bid. 

The West hand:

Slam was lay-down, but bid at neither table.  East-West get the blame at the other table, but, for our group, I give full credit to North and South who bid aggressively and quickly up to three diamonds, making this very hard.  Nicely done.

On to the play, and to two boards where the contracts needed a bit of luck to land.  First up, board one included an interesting club suit-combination problem:

 

 

How should you tackle this suit if you need five tricks?  What if you need six?

Five tricks are easy and obvious if the suit splits.  If clubs are 4-1 offside, we are okay if West has any honor singleton, and can’t do anything if East has KQ10x.  The crucial cases are when West has four clubs:

If East holds a singleton king, queen, or ten, we win five tricks by starting with the ace, and driving out the honors.  If East holds the singleton ten, five, or two, we can force five tricks by leading the nine from hand and playing the jack.  Those two lines are exactly equivalent. 

To win six tricks, we need some real luck.  We will need to find the opposing cards in one of these positions:

 

1.   1052         KQ
2.  KQ             1052
3.  K10            Q52
4.  Q10           K52
5. KQ5           102
6. KQ2        105

We can succeed in the first two by ducking the first club, or by playing ace, and low.  To pick up the others, we must start with the nine from hand, playing the jack from dummy, or, if West plays an honor, winning the ace and continuing with the jack.  Since that line works in four of the six cases, that is the best approach.

The suit arose in the first hand:

 

The auction, at the other table, started out, with no one vulnerable:

South, with minimal values, and no fit, should pass three clubs.  In the play, North has three outside losers, and so must play the clubs for only one loser – exactly the scenario above.  So, win the spade lead, and lead a diamond to dummy.  If the queen holds, get rid of a heart, and make easily.  If they win the ace, and cash the heart winners, cross back to dummy, discard the diamond king on the spade king and play a club up, planning to insert the jack, or play ace, jack.  North, in a very comfortable two clubs, at our table, played similarly. 

At the other table, South bid 3NT over three clubs.  West led the spade ten, won by the ace.  Okay, this is a terrible contract, but here you are.  Plan the play.

Little has changed.  We will probably need six club tricks to land this contract, but, in notrump, we will also need West to hold the diamond ace, to get back to dummy.  Start, as in clubs, with a diamond to the queen at trick two.  Our main hope is for West to hold almost all of the high cards.  Imagine if the hand looks something like this:

Whether West wins the diamond ace or not, you will get to hand to lead the club nine, and win six clubs, two diamonds, and the spade ace. 

In practice, this was the actual hand:

If West ducks the diamond queen, you will tackle clubs, letting East in to clear spades before the diamond is dislodged.  If West wins that diamond, then three notrump cannot be set.  The defense was never challenged, however, when declarer called for a low club at trick two, and couldn’t muster enough club winners for the contract. 

I’ll finish the discussion this week with the last hand, a delicate three heart contract (rotated, as usual, to make South the dealer). 

 

The bidding, with no one vulnerable, had gone:

 

West leads the spade seven (third from even, low from odd).  Plan the play.

Alas, the contract is not wonderful, yet again.  12 opposite 11, and no fit, yet we climbed to the three level.  That’s not very good.  Why?  What went wrong?

To me, the problems started with North’s raise.  I like the simple auction:
           1C             1D (or 1H)
           1NT           P.

This is a very old question, with no correct answer –

       Should you raise responder’s suit with only three trump?

Some experts always raise.  Other’s (and I am in their camp), almost never raise.  Even I, though, would probably have raised one spade to two, but raising one heart on three baby got the ball rolling. 
Once North raised, South must make a game try of some sort.  Perhaps, opposite an “I always raise” partner, South should have tried 2NT, but that is also not a great contract.  Anyway, you are a bit high in three hearts.  The lead seems to have given you four spade tricks.  You have two clubs, and the trump ace.  That’s seven.  Only two more to go.  The simplest approach to nine is when the trump king is onside.  That will give you eight tricks, and the timing to trump a diamond in dummy, for nine.  Maybe the full hand will look like this:

Win the ten of spades, give up a diamond, win the trump queen, surrender another diamond, win the trump ace, trump a diamond, club ace, king, and high spades.  You’ll lose only two diamonds and two trumps.  That seems like an excellent plan.  Declarer can improve on this slightly by winning with the spade ten, crossing to dummy with a club, and leading a diamond.  Maybe West will win the first diamond, and you might survive even if the trump finesse is off. 

Our declarer chose this plan exactly – good!  The play went, spade ten, club jack, to the queen and ace, diamond to East’s ace, and a trump through.  Declarer finessed, as planned, but the finesse lost.  Back came the trump ten, to South’s ace.  These cards were left:

The main hope, the trump finesse, failed.  Do you give up?  Or, can you sing, “I need a miracle …” and find one. 

There is one slim hope left, that both major suits were three-three.  In that case, you can cash both spades, the club king, and trump a club.  Then throw dummy’s diamond on the spade ace.  Someone can ruff in, but won’t have any more trumps, and so can’t draw your trumps.  You will score at least one more ruff – trick eight.  On a very lucky lie, you’ll be able to score both trumps, nine tricks.  Indeed, this was the full hand:

 

After ruffing the club in hand, the cards left will be:

When you lead the spade ace, what can West do?  Throw a diamond?  You’ll get to ruff a diamond and a club.  Trump?  You’ll still get to ruff in each hand.  Throw the high club?  You’ll trump a diamond in dummy and throw your last diamond on the club seven, as West trumps in. 

Miracle requested.  Miracle delivered.