Jul 28 2009
Avoidable Endplay
Playing in a 4-way match in the first round of the Spingold, we are the 58th seed playing the 33rd seed. One of the opponents at our table is of some renown. It is the penultimate board of the first half, and Lance and i have had a great set against them. Then comes this hand. Lance is the hero on this board.
| RHO | CHO | LHO | Hero |
| 2S | Pass | Pass | 2NT |
| Pass | 3C! | Dbl | Pass |
| Pass | 3NT | Pass | Pass |
| Pass |
We are white, and the bidding is interesting. The pro doubled puppet stayment on Lance’s right, ostensibly to tell his partner what to lead. I hoped partner really had his stopper and bid thrump.
Despite having been told to lead clubs, opening leader leads the KS, and Lance buys:
 642
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| AJ95
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AT82
K3
T862Lance counted seven top tricks. He needed to do something with the hearts, and manufacture something in either diamonds or spades. He started by playing low from dummy, and rightie showed out as expected, pitching a club. Lance won the Ace and played a low heart. Leftie popped the queen and Lance ducked. Leftie decided that now would be a good time to lead the suit his partner had asked for, so he led a club and Lance won the Ace. Another low heart, leftie playing the 8. Lance ducked again. Rightie thought for a moment and won the King. Rightie exited another club and Lance won the King while leftie pitched a spade.
A third heart, and Lance correctly played the Ace, despite the opponents attempts to convince him Leftie had QJ8x. With the 13th heart cashing, he was up to 8 tricks. On the heart, rightie pitched a club while declarer and leftie both pitched spades.
Lance now played the KD, everyone following low. A diamond from dummy caught the ten from rightie, Ace from Lance, and another low diamond from leftie. LHO is known at this point to have started with 6331, and if his 3rd diamond is the J, which seems likely, LHO will be endplayed in spades.
And so it was.
The pro commented that LHO should have unblocked his diamond to avoid the endplay, but sometimes even the good players don’t see those things coming.
This was the full hand:
| 642
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| KQT873
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| AJ95
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