IMPROVE YOUR PLAY
with Larry Matheny

 

When declaring a hand and your first line of play fails, it helps to have a backup plan.  Here is a hand where the declarer lost an important finesse but found another way to succeed.

 

Scoring: Matchpoints (Pairs)

#11-25

Dlr

E

Vul

N/S

S

97

H

J43

D

AQ7

C

AK863

S

85

H

9876

D

K10942

C

Q2

  pad  

S

J10642

H

52

D

53

C

10954

 

S

AKQ3

H

AKQ10

D

J86

C

J7

West

North

East

South

   

  

   Pass

    2NT

  Pass  

    6NT

   Pass

   Pass

   Pass       

 

 

 

BIDDING:  South’s strength was concentrated in the major suits but 2NT was the best description.  North did the math and bid the slam.

 

PLAY:  West led a heart and declarer quickly saw she needed to attack the club suit.  She won the jack of hearts and led a low club to her jack losing to the queen.  She won the heart continuation and tested the clubs with the A-K.  After receiving the bad news, she cashed her last two heart tricks discarding a diamond from dummy.  Needing the diamond finesse, she led to the queen and was happy when that won.  Now, she played the ace of diamonds and East was in trouble.  Here was the end position:

 

             S97  DA  C86

                                             SJ1064  

                                              C10                                  

        SAKQ3   DJ

 

 When the ace of diamonds was played, East had to discard a spade and keep his club guard so the three of spades became declarer’s 12th trick.

 

 

Copyright ©2011 Larry Matheny