Bucureºti, 20-2-2005

A few boards from teams Atomic from last Friday, 18-02-2005.

Theme: Special Plays.

First match.

Do you double 7 with North?

What do you lead?

7 Z/ALLEN	North Louis		North	East	South	West
	AK32		-	-	P	2 i
	5		P	2 ii	P	2
	K8642		P	4 iii	P	6
	753		P	7	P	P
West		East	?
			i	Strong
			ii	Relay
			iii	Ace asking

How do you play the next contract?

8 W/-	North Louis		North	East	South	West
West		East	-	-	-	2 i
QJ1032		AK965	P	5 i	Dbl	5 iii
Q97		-	P	6	Ap
3		AJ1082
8642	South Truus	AK3	i	Weak
			ii	Ace ask	A	without
			iii	0 Aces
			Lead:	6

If you made up your mind i will give you the first 3 tricks

Trick1: 6 - 5 - 5 - 7

Trick2: A – 4 – 3 – 5

Trick3: 2 – Q – 2 - 6

How to continue?

Second match:

How do you defend 3?

8 W/-	North Louis		North	East	South	West
West		East	-	-	-	P
KJ54		?	1	1	1NT	P
J6		?	2	P	3	Ap
109753		?
72	South Truus	?	Lead:	A
	Q102
	A984
	A2
	10953

Trick1: A - 2 - 5 - 6

Trick2: 9 - 10 - J - 7

What do you play, and why?

This happens in the 3rd match.

6 O/OW	North Louis		North	East	South	West
	5		-	P	1	2
	975		P	P	2	P
	AQ9862		3NT	Ap
West	AK3	East
QJ9		A76	Lead:	J
QJ6		1043
K10754		J3
Q8	South Truus	109642
	K108432
	AK82
	-
	J75

In teams you have to avoid a disaster. To overcall has to be on a healthy suit.

Something like A Q J 8 7 or K Q J 9 8.

North was thinking of 6 for NS after the opening bid of South. Not any more after the overcall. Dbl was not possible, this shows interest in the other colours.

South choose 2 to show a minimum opening.

West escaped in a possible 2 dbl down much, a catastrophe.

The play:

Trick1: J - 2 - 4 – Q

Trick2: 9 – 3 - 3 – 10

Trick3: 8 - 3 - 2 - J

Trick4: 5 - Q - A - 4

Trick5: 2 – 7 - 4 - 5

Trick6: Q - 5 - 3 - 2

Trick7: J.

When were 3-3, a in North was discarded on the 4th ..

After that a to North and -suit did the rest, 3NT +1

Solution on question one, dbl?

Answer: no, a void somewhere is possible.

Extra: East can try 7NT, and now South has to lead.

He has to make a choice, and Murphy’s law says: if anything can go wrong, it will.

Solution: what is your lead?

My opinion 2 showed a lot of tricks. My choice: K.

That was right. West had a 1-6-0-6 with and 12 tricks.

East had A. So there were 13 tricks for EW, but not with a A or K Lead.

Solution how to defend 3.

8 W/-	North Louis		North	East	South	West
	876		-	-	-	P
	Q2		1	1	1NT	P
	Q4		2	P	3	Ap
West	AKQ864	East
KJ54		A93	Lead:	A
J6		K10753
109753		KJ86
72	Truus	J
	Q102
	A984
	A2
	10953

Trick1: A - 2 - 5 - 6

Trick2: 9 - 10 - J - 7

What to continue and why?

Answer.

10 (another will do as well), to develop a trick in this suit.

If you first cash K and then play J the following happens.

Declarer covers Q -K -A

He draws trumps and plays to South. On the 4^th a is discarded from North.

If you first cash K and continue with 10 South takes A

After that he draws trumps and plays Q.

This we know as a placing.

East has to under lead K or has to give you a ruff and discard in .

If you play J at once North plays Q, West K and South ducks.

After drawing trumps the 10 is finessed and a discarded on A.

If you play 6 at once North plays low West 10 and South a small one.

West can continue and again gives declarer his contract.

And now a South takes A and North plays trumps 6 times.

On the last one from North the situation is:

8 W/-	North Louis
	-
	Q
	Q
West	4	East
-		-
J		K 7
10 9		K
-	South Truus	-
	-
	A 9
	2
	-

East is squeezed.

Discarding K and Q becomes a trick.Discarding a and 9 becomes a trick.

This is known as a simple squeeze.Simple, because it works against one opponent.

South discards a on the last trump.

The placing and the squeeze are easy to find, East did make an overcall, so he has some points.

Why play 10?

The most important reason is that it beats the contract.

Above that East didn’t play A and 3, which showed a 4-card.

Where is 3, you did not see this card in trick 1 and 2.

East did not lead a red K, which seems a logic card from a K Q combination.

North would have passed 1NT with a 5-card and a 3-2-3-5 distribution.

North did made the rebid of 2, showing a 5-card, probably a 6-card.

All clues which proved to be right in the reality.

North did have the 3-2-2-6 distribution.

So you have to figure out that with 3 -tricks and 2 tricks in the red suits for the defence the contract can be beaten.

Solution how to play 6.

8 W/-	North Louis		North	East	South	West
	87		-	-	-	2 i
	108642		P	5 i	Dbl	5 iii
	K9765		P	6	Ap
West	5	East
QJ1032		AK965	i	Weak
Q97		-	ii	Ace ask	A	without
3		AJ1082	iii	0 Aces
8642	South Truus	AK3	Lead:	6
	4
	AKJ53
	Q4
	QJ1097

Trick1: 6 - 5 - 5 - 7

Trick2: A – 4 – 3 – 5

Trick3: 2 – Q – 2 - 6

How to continue?

Because Q is played the contract is safe when are 2-1 with NS.

Look at East.

Draw trumps twice, ending in East.

Play J and discard in West.

If East wins the -return discard on 10 again a can be discarded in West.

This play is known as loser-on-loser.

(You had to loose a -trick anyway)

East lost 1 –trick and 8, 2, 3 could be ruffed in West.

Our West thought of a cross-ruff. First the tricks in the side-suit should be cashed.

So A and K. When North ruffed it was not possible any more to make 6.

Because South is short in it is better to play to A, ruff a , and play to K.

North can be short in and if he ruffs you could play a low in East.

Cross-ruff still works after drawing trumps once.

The wrong decision not to bid 7 was largely compensated.

7 is only -5, -1100.

A tremendous experience in this first match, 7 -1 en 6 -1, and our team-mates 2 times little slam just made.

Louis, a team bridge player.