May 09 2010
Favorable Lead
| North Deals Both Vul |
♠ 9 ♥ J 9 6 ♦ A Q 10 9 8 3 ♣ Q 9 3 |
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♠ K J 10 6 4
♥ K 7 ♦ 7 ♣ A K 10 6 2 |
|
♠ 8 7 3 2
♥ 8 5 4 2 ♦ J 6 5 4 ♣ 8 |
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| ♠ A Q 5 ♥ A Q 10 3 ♦ K 2 ♣ J 7 5 4 |
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| West | North | East | South |
| Pass | Pass | 1 ♣ | |
| 1 ♠ | Pass | Pass | Dbl |
| Pass | 3 ♦ | Pass | 3 N |
| All pass |
| 3 NT by South |
| Lead: ♣ A |
First off, i should admit that this is not how the bidding actually went at my table. Instead of Dbl, i actually bid 1NT, which is a distinct overbid. My only excuse is that i was bored and wanted to play the hand. The auction given is what i think *should* have happened. Regardless, i am declaring 3NT on what appears to be a strange but favorable lead.
LHO continues with the King of clubs, and RHO pitches a low spade. A third club is played, RHO pitching a low heart, and i win and take stock.
LHO must be 5-5, and didn’t want to lead away from his King of spades. Looking at the hand in a vacuum, a spade lead would probably lead to ten tricks if the diamonds run. If the diamonds are running now, i still have ten tricks, and maybe 11 if the heat hook is on. But i’m not convinced the diamonds are running, with 10 black cards with LHO. If the diamonds are running, i plan to take the heart finesse anyway, so i decide i’m going to do it now – if it works i can repeat it and possibly endplay LHO later in spades if i can’t pick up the diamonds. If it doesn’t work, i have another plan.
So, i take the heart hook by playing a heart to the Queen (after all, i may need the J9 as dummy entries if it loses). It does in fact lose, and another club comes back, RHO pitching another low spade while i pitch a diamond from dummy (what else can i pitch?) and i win in hand with the Jack.
If that was a singleton King, i could have made 11 tricks, but if it was a doubleton, i can pick up the diamonds. I play my Ten of hearts (LHO follows) and overtake with dummy’s Jack. LHO is now counted out as 5125 or 6025. Surely it is the former (he would have rebid spades or led one if he had six). I lead the diamond eight from dummy and let it ride, letting out a big sigh of relief when LHO follows low (he might have had the stiff Jack!). Now a diamond to my King, my low heart to dummy’s 9, and run the diamonds. I have to pitch the heart Ace in order to keep the Ace of spades, and come to ten tricks.
It was a funny hand. I think LHO must beat me if he leads the Jack of spades. With so many entries, what was he afraid of? I’m glad he didn’t, though. His favorable lead gave me two club tricks and allowed me to count out the hand.