Congratulations to all the winners at the recent Unit 143 Sectional Spring Tournament. Special acknowledgment to Tom Oppenheimer for receiving the Meritorious Service Award for his lifetime of service. This month’s hand demonstrates how we should take extra time to ensure making our contract.
Vul: All
« The bidding:
S
2 C
2 S
3 H
5 S
Pass
W
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
N
2 D (waiting)
3 D
3 S
6 S
E
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
« Opening lead: ♦ King
North
♠ S Q 10
♥ H 97
♦ D 9765432
♣ C J4
West
♠ 52
♥ QJ843
♦ KQJ
♣ 1086
East
♠ J64
♥ 106
♦ 108
♣ Q97532
South
♠ AK9873
♥ AK52
♦A
♣ AK
the play
1. West led the ♦ King to Declarer’s Ace.
2. Declarer needed to trump ♥s in Dummy to make his contract.
3. Ace and King of ♥s are cashed, and the ♥ 2 is trumped with the ♠ 10.
4. East over-ruffed the ♠ 10 with the Jack and led another trump.
5. Declarer had to lose another ♥ for down one.
what should have happened:
1. When in, Declarer plays the Ace and King of ♥s.
2. Declarer then trumps a ♥ with the ♠ Queen!
3. Declarer gets back to his hand with the ♣ Ace.
4. Now Declarer can trump the last ♥ with the ♠ 10. East can over-ruff with the Jack, but that’s the last trick for defense.
tip of the day
Q | Is there any way to tell if the opponents are leading shortness?
A | Some leads are suspicious, but we really can’t tell for sure. During the play, wary Declarers can make certain adjustments to counteract opponents’ singleton leads.