IMPROVE YOUR PLAY
with Larry Matheny
Defense can be difficult but
sometimes it is as easy as simply taking your tricks. Here is a hand where the defense failed to
follow that sound advice and it cost them.
Scoring: Matchpoints (Pairs)
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Pass |
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BIDDING: South showed
18-19 high card points and North continued to game.
PLAY: West led the five of
hearts and declarer stopped to count his tricks. He had six major suit winners and needed one
of the minors to behave. He chose to
attack clubs, the stronger of the two suits.
He won the heart in hand followed by a low club to dummy’s queen. East completed a high-low to show count as
declarer continued with a low club to his king.
West declined to take this trick.
Since this was a pairs event where overtricks are important, declarer
now turned his attention to the diamond suit.
East won the ace and returned a heart but it was too late. Declarer had twelve tricks (4 spades, 2
hearts, 4 diamonds, and 2 clubs) and a great result.
Since
declarer should have no trouble getting to dummy, West was wrong not to win the
ace of clubs and clear the heart suit.
Declarer would have had no choice but to cash his ten tricks. There are times when it is right to hold up
an ace but this wasn’t one of them.
Copyright ©2010 Larry
Matheny