|
|
by Lex De Groot |
Playing in a matchpoint event with a new partner I pick up, as South,
the following collection:
-
5 3 
Q 7 
A K Q J 10 6 2 
J 6The opponents are keen, but still very inexperienced players, and that's just as well, as events will prove.
At nobody vulnerable, RHO passes, and my opening bid presents no problem.
As it happens, I've had just enough time to agree with partner to play
Gambling 3NT, without any real expectation of that call cropping up in
this single session with him. Well, how about that! This hand seems to
qualify, and so I open 3NT, hoping that he won't bid anything more than
4, or at least not something vague
at the four level, because, as usually happens with a new partner, the
follow-up auction wasn't discussed, for lack of time, as there were much
more important items to go through. But for now there doesn't seem to be
a problem: LHO passes, and partner bids as much as I did, for a grand total
of 6NT, after which all pass. West leads the club five, and a disappointing
dummy is tabled.
-
|
-
WEST - Pass Pass Lead: |
-
NORTH -- - 6NT |
-
EAST --- Pass Pass |
-
SOUTH 3NT Pass |
|||||||||||
Analysis
It is clear that the missing aces are split, as I don't think either
of them, holding two aces, would fail to double for fear of driving me
into a makable slam - after this bidding sequence there simply isn't one.
Holding the J is annoying,
as it presents me with an immediate alternative. If West has Q,
I could let the lead run to the jack, and I'll have ten tricks. That requires
another two from the majors, possibly one trick in each. Or I could lead
up to dummy's spades twice; but if A
is offside things look grim, because obviously, I then can't develop a
trick in hearts without going down. On the other hand, as I then have lost
a trick, but also eleven winners, there may be a chance of a squeeze for
a twelfth trick, unless they cash the A
right away.
What about these hearts? As long as the jack is with West I can make
two heart tricks regardless of the position of the ace. But if the jack
is offside, I'm down then and there, in contrast with the A
offside. No, then I'd rather play for A
with West, and hope that he won't find the lethal heart switch when he
takes his ace. And once the first spade trick is in, I can reconsider whether
to play spades again, or play a heart to the queen. This latter play might
work also if East ducks the first spade, as long as he doesn't hesitate,
giving West an idea.
All this is based on the assumption that West has lead from Q,
but is that likely? Hard to assess, but so far as I know this West that
does not seem too probable. If I duck in dummy, and East has the queen,
then I'm down at trick two - and that certainly would look rather pathetic.
What possibilities remain if I take the first club? Playing that way,
I require three tricks in the majors. Or only two while losing a trick,
and then rely on a favourable endgame. This hand is driving me mad. Still,
it may be possible to take three major suit tricks without giving up the
lead if East has the A, and
consequently, West the A.
And what's more, in that case I'm no longer dependent on West having J
and Q. Finding both aces well-positioned
is a fifty-fifty proposition, because they're known to be split (whatever
'well-positioned' means in this case!) Yes, that's what I'm going to play
for, rather than ducking the club. I'm not sure my analysis is foolproof,
but I can't be pondering this for ages, without leaving the impression
that I'm in serious difficulties. Which major to attack first? Hearts seem
best. If A is with West it's
too late to try spades - assuming they don't try that themselves. Still, B
may be onside, and my twelfth trick could then materialize from a squeeze
or poor discarding. Moreover, if East has Q
- as I think he does - and gives an encouraging signal at trick one, West
may be deflected from the killing switch when in with A
or A, and continue clubs.
That, at least, would give me a little breathing space. Deep down I hope
West has both A and J,
because holding A, he will
get two chances to put the defence on the right track.
Execution
According to plan I win K,
East contributes the nine, and I call for a small heart. The queen holds,
but is that good news? Small spade, small, queen, small. I now have eleven
tricks, but I haven't lost a trick yet. Small diamond to the jack (would
a higher honour have been better?), and another small spade: the moment
of truth. West hesitates almost imperceptibly, but ducks again. The king
wins the trick. My problems are over, and I can now claim twelve tricks
and a top. But unless one is strapped for time one should, as a matter
of principle, I think, rarely claim, because otherwise the opponents might
interpret a failure to claim as an indication that there's still hope for
the defence. And that doesn't do anyone any good - well, not us, anyway.
| Having left one more heart, J,
and two diamonds, and in dummy 8, K,
and A 2, I play the penultimate
diamond. West parts with J,
the K is played from dummy,
and East pitches 10 - a fatal
card as is apparent from the diagram after trick nine. So I just continue
with a diamond to hand, both opponents following, and three more rounds
of diamonds. West easily lets go two clubs and J,
while East discards three hearts. On the final diamond West is forced to
discard a club lest the 8
becomes established. That card may now be discarded, its job as a threat
fulfilled, and East is squeezed. He elects to throw 9
rather than establish 7,
and A fells both outstanding
clubs.
David |
-
--- |
|
||||||||||||
Epilogue
Thus, the entire hand was like this.
-
|
|||||||||||
A,
then with seven diamonds, there are twelve tricks, and if it's A,
then we only need to avoid two fast heart losers." That makes sense, and
indeed, the original Acol version of the gambling 3NT did require a fair
amount of strength in the side suits. But I'm not giving up, yet. "So why
don't you ask for aces, just to be sure?" "That didn't seem necessary,
and besides, if you show only one ace, would that be A,
or one in the majors?" Probably a good point to discuss with partner: when
answering aces, should or shouldn't one count an ace which one holds by
definition? If not, partner could afford to ask for aces on some hands,
and still be able to sign off at a safe level. That principle also applies
e.g. if one plays Namyats with a solid suit, or after a solid-suit showing
jump.
Apart from the misunderstanding, the auction speaks for itself. If South's 3NT is according to the book (e.g. not more than a king or queen on the side - in first or second seat, anyway) then North should simply pass.
Declarer's line of play - however poor its chances of success - was
well-considered, and the best one available. A hand such as this one will,
of course, never be made against expert defence, irrespective of the misunderstanding.
East will not duck the first round of hearts, because should declarer hold A,
he's certain to take twelve tricks, and Q
which he, no doubt, possesses, would be his thirteenth - or his twelfth
at any rate, if he only has six diamonds. The same applies to West: ducking
the A is an error, because
with Q as well as A
in the south hand there are even thirteen tricks now that J
is going to drop, or else the spade trick will be the thirteenth. Apparently,
neither defender fully realized what the opening bid entailed, or at least
failed to count declarer's tricks - an omission commonly made by inexperienced
players.
Defenders' erroneous discards in the endgame were, to some extent, excusable.
Let's look again at the four-card ending. If East has given a count signal
in spades, then West knows at that stage that East still holds the ten.
Now that West prematurely relinquishes his heart control instead of one
of his controls in spades, it is incumbent upon East to retain his spade
control at trick ten, and consequently, he has to discard a club rather
than A because declarer still
has a heart threat. But the double squeeze does not operate any longer,
because on the last diamond West has to pitch A
after all, in order to keep control in clubs, but East need not play to
that trick until after the spade threat, 8,
or the club threat, 2, has
been played from dummy.
By definition, there is no defence against a pure squeeze, but general
principles for discarding are: if both you and your partner control
declarer's one-card threat(s), as well as his two-card threat(s), then
a) discard the suit held to your left, and b) when forced to, relinquish
control in the suit of the two-card threat. Thus (see diagram with J
instead of J), trick 10: 6, A, K
(no choice), A; trick 11: 2, 8,
and declarer is sunk. In this hand both defenders controlled all threats,
so there was an alternative defence, but in the confusion something went
wrong after all.
To
IMP Bridge Index
