Play these NT hands - then explain some bridge expressions
Board 10 Dlr E All Vul
NORTH
South opens 2NT, showing a balanced 20-21. North, after re-checking the arithmetic, knows that they hold 33-34 HCP, enough for slam, and so jumps immediately to 6NT.
West has a clearcut spade lead, ªJ, top of the sequence.
¨ Which spade should East play on the opening lead? Why?
As declarer you count nine top tricks with two more easily established in hearts by driving out the defenders' ©A and promoting your secondary honours to winning rank. That makes a sure eleven.
What about a twelfth? With seven clubs there is a chance the opponents' six clubs will break 3-3. Or the hearts may break 3-3. Or ©T may be singleton or doubleton so that ©9 is a winner.
As you can see from the deal diagram, not one of these 3 possibilities works on the actual deal. Instead, the twelfth trick will come because, although clubs fail to break 3-3, the opponents' §JT is doubleton, enabling 4 club tricks with AK9 and Q.
And so there is light at the end of the tunnel. Explore each possibility in hearts and clubs, preferring not to play your short suits (diamonds and spades) except as useful steppingstones from one hand to the other.
One precise order of play (many slight variations are possible) might be to win ªQ in hand (as there are more entries there) and play a low heart to the king. East wins with ©A and returns a spade. Win ªK and play ¨T to dummy's ¨J. Lead ©3 to ©Q. No ©T has appeared. But maybe they are breaking 3-3. No, because when you play ©J West discards a diamond.
Now try the clubs. You are in hand. Play §AK - hooray, §JT appear on your right. Cash your winning §9, cross to dummy with ¨Q overtaken by ¨K, cash §Q, ªA and a diamond back to the ace makes twelve tricks for a score of 6x30 + 10 500 + 750 = 1440 in your vulnerable small slam.
Board 11 Dlr S Nil Vul
NORTH
© QJ83
¨ KQT95
§ 9
WEST EAST
West opens 1NT in second seat and boldly accepts East's 9-point 2NT invitation to game by bidding 3NT. East might have chosen 3NT at once with such a good 9.
¨ When West opens 1NT does she have a 'good' or 'bad' 16? Explain.
North leads ¨K, promising KQJ or KQT. As declarer, you count nine top tricks, with no prospect of any more.
If it looks worryingly too easy, sometimes it is! Worrying, that is. The only possible problem is in the play of the club suit.
Win the diamond lead with dummy's ¨A. Play a low club to §K (or §Q) in your hand. Play the other high club and overtake with dummy's §A. If you fail to do this, you have marooned your winners. In bridge jargon you are said to have 'blocked' the club suit (= prevented the smooth running of all the winners in the suit). The §A is the only possible entry to enable you to cash dummy's club winners. And you must use it at just the right moment in order to make your nine tricks and a score of 3x30 + 10 + 300 = 400.
¨ If you had received a heart lead and then proceeded to block the clubs, you would still survive. Why?
Board 12 Dlr W NS Vul
NORTH
North opens 1NT in second seat and is raised to 3NT by South with a balanced 11-count. (The 2§ Stayman convention might be employed here, as on Board 9, to locate a possible 8-card heart fit.) East leads §Q, here showing QJ9, since the ten is in dummy.
¨ Which club should West play on the opening lead? Why?
As declarer, you can again count nine sure tricks - four in each of the majors and §A. You cannot afford to try for any extra trick in diamonds: you would have to lose the lead 2- 3 times to establish any extra(s) in diamonds and the defence will have at least three club winners to cash as well.
And so prudence is the watchword. And a little care will be needed in cashing your major suit winners. You don't want to block a suit or compress your number of winners.
Win §A in hand and 'unblock' the spade suit by first playing ªK and ªJ. Now play a low heart from dummy to your ©K. Cash your remaining spade winners, the ace and queen. Now play ©J and overtake it with the ace or queen so that you can cash two more heart winners for nine tricks and 3x30 + 10 + 500 = 600 for your vulnerable game.
¨ Could you explain the following bridge expressions to someone who has not read this lesson?
two spade stoppers
hearts are blocked
take it in hand
duck it
I overcalled
promoted a spade
cashed her spades
your club discard
test the diamonds
Where are my entries?
an encouraging two
How did they break?
What is your rebid?
she invited me to game
established two hearts
No comments:
Post a Comment