February 2008 - 48

INTERMEDIATE PLAYERS

The Real Deal

Larry Cohen
www.larryco.com
This deal was played by my partner,
David Berkowitz, in the Charlotte
NC Regional. (He still wants you to
know, however, that when he gets
deals wrong, I leave him nameless,
with a comment such as "declarer
erred."). You hold:
A 7 A Q 5 4 2 9 5 A K 8 6.
At IMPs, with both vulnerable,
your right-hand opponent deals and
opens 2. What's your call?
This hand has the wrong shape and
texture for a natural 2NT. While 3
is a possible overcall, I prefer double,
which is more flexible. Partner
bids 3 (in this case it promised
some values - we were playing a
convention called lebensohl), and you
bid 3, raised to 4.
53
K63
AQ42
7432
A7
AQ542
95
AK86
The 2 is led and RHO plays
the 9. What is your plan? At suit
contracts, it's best to count losers.
Here, you have to lose a spade and a
club for sure. If clubs and hearts are
3-2, you will make this contract even
if the K is wrong. But, with RHO
known to have six spades, side suits
48

are less likely to split evenly.
The key play, as is so often the
case, must be made at trick one. You
should let East hold the 9. It is
hard to see the exact reason, but on
general principles, it is usually good
to surrender such unavoidable losers
early (in this case, you are cutting
later defensive communications).
RHO wins the 9 and returns the
suit to your ace. You test trumps with
the ace and king and discover that
RHO started with a singleton. With
a sure trump loser, you now have to
hope clubs and diamonds combine
for only one loser. You lay down the
A and K, all following. Should
you take the diamond finesse for your
contract?
What's the hurry? Exit with your
last club and if RHO has the third
club, he will be endplayed. This was
the real deal in Charlotte:
53
K63
AQ42
7432
Q82
 K J 10 9 6 4
N
J987
W E  10
 10 8 7 6
KJ3
S
J9
 Q 10 5
A7
AQ542
95
AK86
Exclusive BRIDGE

The key play, as is so
often the case, must be
made at trick one.
Let's review the play. You ducked
the 9 at trick one (the key play).
You won the next spade, drew only
two trumps and played three rounds
of clubs. What happens on the third
club? It does West no good to ruff
with his natural trump trick, so East
wins. He has to either give a ruff-sluff
(you throw your diamond loser and
ruff in dummy), or lead from his
K. This partial elimination earns
you plus 620 and a 13-IMP gain (the
other table played 3NT down two).
Note: Had you won the first trick,
the endplay wouldn't work. East
would be able to get to his partner
in spades for a diamond through the
dummy and a defensive trick in
each suit.
r
Visit www.larryco.com for lots
of bridge articles and join his free
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2008