Seek and ye shall find!

John Burville

Created: Aug 21, 2010 11:00 AM

This week's guest columnist is John Burville, a senior player on the local bridge scene, and has represented Bermuda in international competition on many occasions.

The differences between team and pairs play can often be very stark. In pairs play (match play scoring), the search for the extra trick(s) can be very challenging. Declarer will often have tough choices as to whether or not to risk the contract for the possibility of the extra trick. Success will get you a top, and failure will get you a bottom.

In today's hand from the Bridge Club, South ends up in 4 hearts, with Vul East/West being silent during the auction.

EW Vul. Dealer East.

♠KJ10975

♥J763

𗿾

�

♠A62 ♠Q83

󯽾 ♥Q5

♦Q743 ♦K1065

♣KQ853 ♣J962

𗿄

♥AK9842

♦AJ98

♣A7

E S W N

P 1♥ P 1♠

P 2♥ P 3♥

P 4♥ P P

Lead 󯽾

Surveying the scene, South first looks to see if the contract should make. Here 10 tricks are easy with drawing trumps in 2 rounds, and ruffing 2 diamonds on the board. One extra trick may be possibly by trying to ruff 3 diamonds in dummy. That plan has some risks with a possible overruff, or the defender winning a spade can play the last trump.

One usual technique in this case would be, after ruffing the first diamond, play the ♠K from dummy hoping that the player with the ♠A does not have the last trump. However, an improvement on this is to win the first heart in hand, and play a spade immediately towards dummy. If West has the ♠A then you at least get the ♠K as another trick to compensate for maybe only ruffing 2 diamonds. Also, this plan has another interesting aspect to it, and offers the possibility of developing the spade suit for 1 or 2 extra tricks. You can always get to ruff at least 2 diamonds along the way.

Entries to dummy are going to be an issue, so let's start by maximising the entries in the trump suit. Examining the lead carefully, South assumes the lead of the 󯽾, should deny ♥Q, and as the last trump is only the 𗿷. Cover the lead with the ♥J, and as expected East covers with the ♥Q. South wins this with ♥A. Plays the spade, and West wins with the ♠A. Great! South has now 11 tricks and a strong possibility for a twelfth. West plays ♣K, but this is now too late. Win in hand, and draw the last trump by leading the 𗿴 to the 𗿹 ending in dummy.

As trumps are all out South can now play ♠K and ruff a spade. As the cards lie this gives declarer the rest of the tricks. However, because of the creation of dummy entries on the first trick, South can handle a 4-2 break in the spade suit. If Spades had been 4-2, this declarer would have been substantially rewarded, as some declarers may not play the ♥J on the first trick. Alternatively, East, realising dummy entries are important may not play the ♥Q on the first trick reducing declarer's entries to dummy.

So 4♥ making 12 tricks, a good pairs score. Partner assumes this is a normal result, and looks at you from across the table and says, "How do we bid the slam?" The answer? You don't! If you bid the slam, West will surely lead ♣K and now you cannot make it.

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Seek and ye shall find!