Dec 09 2009
Falsecard of the Year
Playing in the San Diego Nationals, Lance and i are trying to enter as many national events as possible. Today’s event is the Blue Ribbon Pairs, which is probably the biggest and best and hardest pairs event in the world. It spans three days, and part of the field is eliminated after each of the first two days. We’re definitely in over our heads, especially the way we’ve been playing, but enjoying the competition.
An interesting hand comes up (spots approximate).
♠ 8 6 ♥ A K 9 5 3 ♦ Q J 9 3 2 ♣ A == ♠ A K Q T 7 5 2 ♥ 2 ♦ A 4 ♣ 8 6 5
West North East South Pass 1♥ Pass 2♠ Pass 3♦ Pass 3♠ Pass 4♣ Pass 4NT Pass 5♥ Pass 5NT Pass 6♦ Pass 6♥ Pass 6♠ Pass 7♠ All Pass
2♠ was strong and forcing and pretty much set trumps. 4C was a cuebid agreeing spades. 5♥ showed two without. 5NT asked for the heart King specifically. 6♦ showed it but denied the diamond King. 6♥ was a general grand try, which i declined, but ultimately Lance thought we had enough anyway.
The lead was the club King. There are 11 top tricks. Two club ruffs makes 13, but entries are difficult. You have to get to your hand three times – twice to ruff clubs and once to pull trumps. Alternately you could try the diamond finesse, but the former line seems more likely.
Lance won the club Ace and led the diamond Queen, to see if Rightie was from Greenville (people from Greenville, NC always cover honors if they have them). Nice try, but these guys are not. He wins the diamond Ace and ruffs a club. Heart Ace-King, pitching a diamond. He figured he could ruff once in each red suit to get back to his hand, so he went ahead and ruffed a heart. (Hearts seems slightly safer, since our side only had six total hearts while we had seven diamonds.) Unfortunately, Leftie overruffed the heart, returned a trump and we had to go two down.
It turns out that diamonds were 3-3 with the King offside. I commented after the session that had Lance chosen to first get to hand with a diamond ruff, the diamond King is almost a “mandatory falsecard” by West. This would persuade declarer to try the heart ruff next, which West would be able to overruff.
Lo and behold, another unfortunate pair got to the same grand on the same lead, and declarer DID ruff a diamond first. And at that table West did find the spectacular falsecard of the diamond King on the second round of the suit. It got written up in the Daily Bulletin and nominated as a candidate for Best Defensive Play of the Year.
When i am good enough to find that play, in tempo, i’ll know i’m doing something right.
♠ 8 6 ♥ A K 9 5 3 ♦ Q J 9 3 2 ♣ A ♠ J x x ♠ x ♥ x x ♥ Q J T x x ♦ K T x ♦ x x x ♣ K Q T x x ♣ J x x x ♠ A K Q T 7 5 2 ♥ 2 ♦ A 4 ♣ 8 6 5