presents  Professor IMP's WeeklyMaster Class  #24    To Prof. IMP Index
Prof IMP
-		 'Mixed Teams'
Somehow, mixed teams events are not that popular in The Netherlands. Only 22 teams participated in this year's National Championship. So much for the bad news. The good news was the high level of play. This did not come as a big surprise as the field was replete with World and National Champions. With such tough competition and the format of mini-matches, consisting of eight boards only, every trick counted.

Professor IMP analyzed a partscore deal with his students. As South, you are dealer, red versus white, and you hold

A102  K2J84 AJ974

You open 1, LHO overcalls with 1 and partner doubles for takeout. RHO raises to 2 which becomes the final contract.

Partner leads the J and this dummy appears:
 

-
S/NS
dummy
 
J 6 5 
A 9 6
Q 7 2
Q 8 6 2
e A 10 2
K 2
J 8 4
A J 9 7 4
 		 -
WEST----
-
-
1
Pass
 
 

-

 NORTH --
-
-
Double
Pass		 EAST----
-
-
2
Pass
 		 SOUTH
You
1
Pass
 
 

 

Declarer plays low from dummy and you win with the King. You return the suit, hoping for ruffs. Partner plays the ten and dummy's Ace wins the trick. Declarer now leads a club off dummy and you rise with the Ace, felling declarer's King. Partner follows with the 10, clearly showing a three-card holding as you play reverse count.

'Take it from there, young man,' Professor IMP instructed one of his students.
The student studied the diagram for a while and then started to think out loud.
'Mmm... Let me see. It's almost certain that I can reach partner in diamonds and receive my heart ruff. Still, that is only our fourth trick. Adding my A makes five and the contract is still not down. By the way, partner is unlikely to have the A and K. With that holding  he would no doubt have led a high diamond.'

'A reconstruction. Before I go any further, I must make a reconstruction of declarer's hand. Declarer's shape is bound to be 5-4-3-1. That means that the contract cannot go down anyway, unless partner has the K. In the latter case we will make two high trumps, the K, a heart ruff and the A. Easy.'

'But what if partner has the the trump Queen instead of the King? In that case the contract still can be made: diamond to partner, heart ruff and then? A low spade? Declarer surely will play the King and another spade. And with trumps 2-2 he claims eight tricks.'

'No, after winning the A the only possibility to defeat the contract is to return a low spade and hope that declarer will not play the same way.'

'Good for you, young man', Professor IMP remarked with delight. 'Much to my joy, South found this defence at the table. North won the Queen and gave his partner the heart ruff.'

Who would blame declarer for misguessing trumps at that early stage?

This was the full deal:
-

-
S/NS Q 3 
J 10 8 3
K10 9 5
10 5 3
K 9 8 7 4 
Q 7 5 4
A 6 3
K
J 6 5 
A 9 6
Q 7 2
Q 8 6 2
e A 10 2
K 2
J 8 4
A J 9 7 4
 		 -

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