PLAY A HAND WITH THE EXPERT
A series of 'step-by-step' articles

Championship Quiz No. 112

Ron Klinger, Australia

You are playing Teams. As North, the dealer with E/W Vul, you hold:

A 9 7 4 A K 4 3  A 5  A Q 6

What action do you take?

Answer: If you are playing natural methods, this is a 20-22 2NT opening. If you are not playing 2NT as natural, you will know how to disclose these values and shape.

West	North	East	South
	2NT	Pass	4
Pass	?

What does partner's 4 mean?

Answer: Popular methods after a 2NT opening are to use 3 as an inquiry bid regarding majors, 3 and 3 as major-suit transfers and 3 as a slam try with both minors. The jumps to 4 and 4 are used for hands with a six-card or longer minor, no second suit and some slam interest. With no slam interest, responder would bid 3NT or jump to five-of-a-minor.

What action do you take?

Answer: The 4 bid sets the trump suit. A rebid by you of 4NT would suggest a very weak doubleton in diamonds and a minimum hand. Your hand is limited, partner's is not. You should bid 4, a cue-bid showing the A, and let partner do the running. If partner continues with 4NT, you can easily answer partner's questions.

West	North	East	South
	2NT	Pass	4
Pass	4	Pass	5
Pass	?

What do you understand from the 5 bid?

Answer: Partner has only a mild slam try and is not strong enough to bid 4NT over 4 . With no ace to cue-bid, partner is leaving the decision whether to go 6 to you.

So, what do you do?

Answer: As you have four aces, one of partner's concerns might have been the fear of hearing a 5 reply to 4NT and then being too high with two aces missing. After 2NT - 4 , you were strong enough to bid 6 there and then and you should bid 6 now. You chose the 4 cue-bid in case partner was interested in a grand slam.

West	North	East	South
	2NT	Pass	4
Pass	4	Pass	5
Pass	6	End

West leads the 5. When you move to the South seat, this is what you see:

A 9 7 4 A K 4 3 A 5 A Q 6         Q 3 Q 8 K Q 10 9 8 4 J 8 4

You have no losers in the majors and if diamonds are 3-2 or the J singleton, this will be a piece of cake. You take the lead in hand with the Q and play a diamond to the ace and a diamond to your king. On the second diamond, West discards the 2.

How should you continue?

Answer: When you cannot capture an opposition trump holding via a normal finesse, but you hold a tenace over that holding, it is important to reduce your trump length to the same length as that held by the opponent. You should therefore plan to ruff spades in your hand. Cash the A, K and discard a spade. Then play A and ruff a spade.

What next?

Answer: You may as well take the club finesse. If that wins, you are in good shape. You play a club to the queen, which wins, and these cards remain:

9 7 4 - A 6         - - Q 10 9 J 8

How do you finish the hand off?

Answer: Simply cash the A and play another spade. If East ruffs, you over-ruff and draw the last trump. If East follows or discards, you ruff and exit with your last club. You must then score your two diamonds at the end.

This was the complete deal:

A 9 7 4 A K 4 3 A 5 A Q 6             K 10 5  J 10 6 5  3  K 10 9 3 2          J 8 6 2  9 7 2  J 7 6 2  7 5              Q 3 Q 8 K Q 10 9 8 4 J 8 4

After the Q, A, K, A, K discarding a spade, A, spade ruff, club to the queen, you could also succeed, as the cards lie, via a spade ruff, cross to dummy with the A and lead dummy's last spade.

In the 2005 World Senior Teams, several declarers made 6 along those lines. In Germany vs USA, South played in 6NT after this auction:

West	North	East	South
	1	Pass	2
Pass	3	Pass	3NT
Pass	6NT	End

The 1 opening was Polish and forcing for one round, 2 showed diamonds and 10+ points, 3 was artificial and showed a very powerful hand. The opening lead was a low heart, taken in dummy to retain an entry to the South hand. Declarer, Hans Humburg, continued with two top diamonds and West discarded a club. Next came the 10, discarding a spade from dummy. East won and returned a heart. With no further entry to hand, South had to cash the diamonds.
This was the position after South played the Q to remove East's 7:

A 9 K 4 - A Q 6             K 10  J 10  -  K 10 9          J 8 6 2  9  -  7 5              Q 3 - 8 4 J 8 4

On the 8, West was squeezed in three suits. He hoped East had the Q and so discarded the 10. Declarer pitched dummy's 9. The 4 came next and West threw the K. Declarer countered by throwing the A! Now the Q squeezed West in hearts and clubs.