Oct 03 2009
Good Times and a Stepping-Stone Endplay
Playing with my buddy Malcolm in the Thursday night club game, we’re having a good time. A lot of laughter is coming from our table as Malcolm makes joke after joke, and the tables around us overhear and laugh with us. A good C pair comes to our table, but they don’t seem to be enjoying the game as much as we are. In first seat, i hold KJ83 KJ8 92 J862 and i pass. Partner opens 1D and RHO overcalls 1H. I make the negative double and rebid 3N after partner jumps to 3D. The bidding has been:
| me | LHO | pard | RHO |
| Pass | Pass | 1D | 1H |
| X | Pass | 3D | Pass |
| 3NT | Pass | Pass | Pass |
Somewhat surprisingly, LHO leads the spade four and i buy:
 52
|
|
 |
|
|
862
AKQ865
AKThe queen appears on my right and i take stock. If the diamonds behave, i have six diamonds, two clubs, and a spade off the top, with possibilities of extra tricks in hearts. If RHO ducks the first heart, i have a guess, because why didn’t LHO lead hearts? They play 4th best leads, so the lead should be from four spades. I have the spade spots such that if RHO wins the AH and leads a spade, he can only take two spades and a heart, so i should make at least 10 tricks, possibly more if he forgets to cash out.
Well, first thing to do is test the diamonds. I lead the deuce and LHO plays low but with a slight hitch. Hmm, i wonder if he has diamonds locked up? I can’t afford to take that position, so i play the Ace. Of course, RHO pitches a club.
Well, on to plan B. Three diamonds, a spade, two hearts (playing RHO for AQ), two clubs, and some sort of endplay against West. With five diamonds and four spades, he’s either 2-2 or 1-3 in hearts and clubs, respectively. I should be able to finagle something.
I lead a heart. RHO flies ace and returns the Ten of spades. I cover with the Jack, and LHO wins the Ace and exits passively with a club. I win and play another heart, finessing successfully. When LHO follows i put him with 4252, although i suppose he might have only three spades? That would be a strange lead on this auction. But even if that is the case, i am still home if he started with Qxx of clubs.
I play the 9D and LHO has to cover. Now i cash the AC (seemingly stranding the diamonds in the dummy) and lead the third heart back to my hand. LHO thinks for a second and throws a diamond on this. I exit with the eight of spades to leftie, who can only cash his last spade and then concede the final two tricks to dummy’s diamond tenace. A cool little stepping-stone endplay.
This was the position as i lead a heart from dummy:
| -
|
||
| 97
|
|
6
|
| 83
|
This pair still isn’t having fun when they leave our table, but for us the good times continue, indeed until 1 am as our friends sat the same direction which led to fun discussions in the bar after the game. Sometimes club bridge gets old, but nights like this make it fun again.
The full hand:
| 52
|
||
| A974
|
|
QT6
|
| KJ83
|