March 2007 - 51

Dlr: South  8 5 4
Vul: N-S  A Q J 5 3
 K 10 9 2
5
A2
3
N
6
9874
W E
QJ43
875
S
AQ8763
 K 10 9 4 2
 K Q J 10 9 7 6
 K 10 2
A6
J
West
North
East
South
1
2
2
4
4
5
5
All Pass
West leads the 6.
Bidding Commentary: East's
jump to 4 is preemptive, not
strong. Jump raises of overcalls
are preemptive. Normal strength
is about 4-6 high-card points plus
four- or five-card support, along
with a singleton or two doubletons.
With stronger hands, the advancer
(partner of the overcaller) either
raises showing 8-10 support points
or cuebids with stronger hands. Both
2 or 3 would be cuebids after the
2 response. When the opponents
have bid two suits, a cuebid is
normally made in the suit where the
advancer has a stopper. If partner
has strength in the other suit, a good
notrump contract might be reached.
Also, South's spades are so long and
so strong that he eschews supporting
hearts to play in an independent suit
- a winning strategy.
Defensive Commentary: On
opening lead, holding the ace of
trump along with a side-suit singleton
is about as good as it gets. The
singleton is led with the idea of
getting in with the trump ace and
then putting partner in to secure a
ruff. That's the idea, anyway.
Play Commentary: Sitting in
the South seat, with both opponents
March 2007

bidding clubs, a heart lead in
dummy's first bid suit looks ominous.
It figures to be a singleton. You can
visualize West winning the A,
leading a club to East and getting
a heart ruff. What to do? One
possibility is to play the A-K-10 of
diamonds. If East plays low, discard
a club. After winning the trick West
will not be able to put East in with
a club for the heart ruff. If East
covers the 10, ruff and lead the
Q hoping West plays low, fearing
partner has the singleton king. Look,
you are desperate.
Defensive Commentary #2: If
South plays a spade at trick two (the
likelihood), West must win and lead a
low club over to a hoped-for king to
get that cherished heart ruff.
Dlr: South  K 10 6 5
Vul: Both  A J 9 4
Q
QJ32
84
72
N
72
KQ6
W E
KJ932
 10 8 7 6 5 4
S
 10 9 8 7
64
AQJ93
 10 8 5 3
A
AK5
North

South
1
6

4
Pass
West leads the 10.
Bidding Commentary: North's
leap to 4 is a splinter jump. It
shows opening bid strength, primary
support (four or more spades), and,
most important, a singleton in the
jump suit. Splinter jumps often lead
to slams. South knows that North,
who has opening-bid values, must
have heart values because South has
everything else!
Lead Commentary: Looks

INTERMEDIATE PLAYERS

Chalk Talk

Eddie Kantar
www.kantarbridge.com

normal, but the only lead that defeats
the contract happens to be a heart.
Play Commentary: There are
losers in only one suit, hearts.
Whenever there are losers in only
one suit, it behooves declarer to try
to strip the hand (remove all of their
safe exit cards) before attacking the
critical suit. The play should go like
this: South wins the opening lead,
draws trump and plays three more
rounds of clubs, discarding a heart
(clubs are now stripped). Declarer
returns to the A, stripping that suit,
and runs the 8 into East's queen.
(Defenders normally win tricks with
the lower equal.)
This leaves East with a choice
of two uncomfortable options. He
can either lead a heart into the A-J
and lose a heart trick or exit with a
diamond, giving declarer a ruff and
sluff - and also lose a heart trick.
If a ruff-sluff diamond is returned,
South, with two hearts in the closed
hand and three in dummy, discards
from the short heart hand and ruffs in
the long heart hand. Declarer has the
rest with the A and high trump.
If the hand is not stripped before
hearts are broached, East will have
safe exit cards upon winning the Q
and will wind up taking two heart
tricks.

51
http://www.kantarbridge.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2007
