You Get Extra Points for Extra Tricks
Board 4 Dlr: W All Vul
The contract is 3NT by East, a game contract in which 9 tricks are required.
NORTH
♠ 654
♥ QJT9
♦ T86
♣ J97
WEST EAST
♠ 987 ♠ A32
♥ 876 ♥ AK2
♦ Q543 ♦ AK2
♣ 542 ♣ AKQ3
SOUTH
♠ KQJT
♥ 543
♦ J97
♣ T86
South leads ♠K against East’s 3NT contract (promising at least a three-card sequence of KQJ). Declarer can count 9 sure tricks - one in spades, two in hearts and three each in diamonds and clubs.
But in this game, greed is good. Declarer must consider how to make overtricks. Both minor suits, with a combined holding of seven cards offer the possibility of a fourth trick if the missing six cards break 3-3 (or if a defender throws one away from a 4-card holding).
So declarer wins with ♠A and now tests the clubs. She plays off the ace, king and queen and notices that all clubs have now been played. Thus ♣3 is high and can be cashed.
Next to the diamonds. Again there are only 6 cards outstanding. Play the ace and king. With everyone following, there are now only 2 left. Now a small diamond to dummy's queen and both opponents follow. Thus ♦5 in dummy is high and another extra trick is created.
Notice how important it is to play off the ace and king of diamonds first, known as playing honours from the short hand first. Now your ♦2 enables you to cross over to dummy’s ♦Q. Then, since the suit breaks 3-3, you can cash your winning ♦5.
If you play your ♦Q too early, before the honours in your hand, you will have no way back to dummy later and your little diamond winner will be stranded because you have blocked the suit.
Thus by careful play declarer should finish with 11 tricks –
two overtricks in a vulnerable game contract
for a score of 5x30 + 10 + 500 = 660.
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The story continues in the next post - Number 1(g). I welcome any comments you may have. You can do this via the "Post a Comment" feature at the bottom of each post, or the Contact Form in the right sidebar.
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