Monday Night at the Club
Monday Night at the ClubEditor's note: Peter, who is a
graduate student in chemistry at the University of Illinois, has been writing
weekly articles featuring interesting deals from the Monday-night game at the
Bridge at Ginger Creek club in Champaign. This is his analysis of two hands from
the January 11 game. See the bottom of this page for links to more of his
articles.
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Hand
8 is good practice for studious players of the game. North-South reached the
terrific contract of 6H. After ruffing the ♦A opening lead, if you decide to start drawing trumps immediately, you can take 13 tricks if: (1) Spades split 3-2, or (2) The spades split 4-1 ahead, or (3) The spades split 4-1 behind and hearts split 3-2
and
clubs split 3-3.
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The last scenario is forthcoming on the actual deal, as shown in the diagram on the left. But perhaps there is a better line of play? After all, suits tend to break badly when the opponents preempt the bidding. Try
this: If either opponent has 4 hearts, return to hand with the ♠Q, draw trumps (throwing clubs from dummy), and hope that spades split favorably. This is equivalent to scenarios (1) and (2) mentioned above. If both opponents follow to the two heart leads, return to hand with the ♠Q, draw trumps (throwing a club from dummy), and establish the spades. This is equivalent to scenario (3) above, except you don’t need the clubs to split. It might seem like we are splitting hairs, only gaining in very specific scenarios (e.g., when East is exactly 1-3-7-2). However, as a student of the game, I view it as a moral victory if I find the correct technical line of play, whether or not it leads to a material difference in the outcome. |
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Hand 7 presented some unusual opportunities for card reading on defense. Take the North seat and give it a try. Partner (South) leads the ♣4 (4th-best leads) against 2S. Declarer calls for the ♣J, and you take your entitled 20-second pause before following with the ♣10 (you should think about, for example, whether you will hop ♥K if declarer next leads a low heart from dummy). Declarer (East) follows with the ♣2, then attempts to lead the ♠3 from his hand. You point out that the lead is in dummy, and declarer instead plays a low diamond to his ♦K and partner’s ♦A. Partner… Never mind partner for now. Are you following the play closely? Take a moment to reflect on the hand before reading further. • The missing high-card points are likely split 11-10 between partner and declarer, respectively. • Both partner and declarer have relatively flat hands. Partner might have opened a shapely 11-count, and declarer might have made a move at game with a 10-count and a singleton. • Declarer wants to draw trumps from hand. Give partner the ♠A. • How are the club honors split? Declarer mistakenly thought he was in hand at trick 2. One possible explanation is that he anticipated you covering the ♣J with the ♣Q, after which he planned to win the ♣K and lead a trump. • Partner has the ♠A, ♦A, and ♣Q. To make up 11 HCP, give partner the ♠J. Voilŕ!
It is only trick 2, but you are now defending double dummy. The whole
hand: |
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Unfortunately, on this hand there is not much you can do outside of taking your ♥K. Partner could have put up a stronger defense by ducking the ♦A. Declarer might then finesse into your ♠Q, which would allow you to cross to partner's ♦A and enjoy a diamond ruff. It is true that some of the inferences mentioned above are not 100% conclusive. On most hands, modifications to our initial assumptions will be required as new information becomes available. Also, note that the rules of bridge prohibit declarer from deceiving the opponents through mannerisms and other means external to the actual play of the cards. More interesting hands from Peter: |