by Jim Grant |
Hand 1
I read somewhere in the dim and distant past, that if you double a notrump slam, then partner should lead the first bid suit by your RHO. However, there's nothing like putting your partner on the spot to make the right opening lead after you've thrown in an overcall to lend a bit of confusion to the proceedings. At the club on a normal Tuesday Duplicate Pairs night, you hear partner pass and your RHO open 1 Club. Holding a decent hand with:
A Q98654 Q1083 K7 |
Here is the full deal and the bidding (hand is rotated for convenience)
10875 732 64 9854 | ||
KQ2 AKJ10 AKJ92 2 |
Dealer S | J9643 - 75 AQJ1063 |
A Q98654 Q1083 K7 |
NORTH | EAST | SOUTH | WEST |
Pass | 1 | 1 | Double |
Pass | 1 | Pass | 2 |
Pass | 3 | Pass | 4NT |
Pass | 5 | Pass | 6NT |
Pass | Pass | Double | Pass |
Pass | Pass |
Partner leads...............a smallish heart, probably the top of nothing. OK, not the end of the world. It looks like East has been caught speeding so prospects still appear good. Your 9 of hearts goes to declarer's 10 so it's clear to you that declarer has AKJ10. However, its equally clear to declarer that you have the king of clubs. The king of spades is led which you win with the ace, and take stock.
Declarer has bid confidently and strongly so can be assured of having pretty much all the missing high cards. She isn't noted for a tendency to hog the play, so doesn't have four spades, and probably doesn't have 3 clubs, but is likely to have eight or nine red cards. So in addition to her good heart holding, she probably has four or five diamonds to the AK(J)xx. Obviously you will have to put declarer back in hand at the next trick, so will it be a diamond or a heart? Of course you have to consider what will happen after four more rounds of spades. What can you keep? How would the play go If you exit with a diamond and declarer wins with the ace? After the run of three spades, you can picture the last seven cards in your hand as either:
- Q86 Q10 K7 |
- Q8 Q108 K7 |
- Q86 - K7 |
- AKJ - 2 |
- AK 9 2 |
Alternatively you could exit with a heart at trick three. This should prove unsuccessful aswell, since after declarer has taken four heart tricks, four spade tricks and lost a spade, this is likely to be the four card ending.
- - 64 98 | ||
- AKJ 2 |
- - 7 AQJ | |
- - Q10 K7 |
At the table, following the heart switch, declarer eventually chose a different line: that of cashing the spade winners and then finessing the jack of diamonds, which was of course successful.
What a pity north didn't find the club lead! Still, I can now tell you that 6NT Doubled, vulnerable and making, is 1680. I couldn't have even guessed before.
Hand 2
I did say honours were even. The next hand you pick up
AQ87 KQJ765 1076 - |
East, chose the ace of diamonds for his opening lead, and that was that! Five spade tricks, six heart tricks and the king of diamonds.
KJ1043 A3 K85 J32 | 52 842 Q92 AK1087 |
Dealer E | 96 109 AJ43 Q9654 |
AQ87 KQJ765 1076 - |
NORTH | EAST | SOUTH | WEST |
- | Pass | 1 | Pass |
Pass | 1 | Pass | 4 |
Pass | 6 | Pass | Pass |
Pass | - | - | - |
Of course the story is only complete when I mention that my partner was husband to one of the opposition, who, upon leaving the table was heard to say "I've got ace and king of clubs, nobody else will bid that!" Well done Dickie!
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