IMPROVE YOUR PLAY

With Larry Matheny

As declarer it is usually right to set up your own hand. However, it is sometimes easier to establish dummy.

Scoring: IMPs (Teams)

#13-13
Dlr	E
Vul	E/W

	J864
	AKQ108
	87
	104

	1053
	J96
	AQ102
	A32

	Q9
	542
	9654
	K765

	AK72
	73
	KJ3
	QJ98

West	North	East	South
-	-	Pass	1
Pass	1	Pass	1
Pass	3	Pass	4
Pass	Pass	Pass

Bidding: North jumped to 3 inviting game and South accepted.

Play: With no attractive lead, West settled on a low spade. Declarer won East’s queen and continued with a second round. With trumps behaving, declarer decided the heart suit offered the best chance for success. If the suit divided 3-3 or the jack dropped doubleton, he would have 9 tricks: 4 spades and 5 hearts. The hearts did divide 3-3 so he discarded three diamonds and then trumped a diamond in his hand for his 10^th trick. He lost only 1 diamond and 2 clubs.

The defense had four available tricks, but a club lead on this auction with this holding would seem impossible to find. At the other table, they stopped in a spade partscore and made only 9 tricks. Either West found a club lead or declarer did not use the heart suit to his advantage.

Copyright ©2013 Larry Matheny