May 2011 - 49

Chalk Talk
Dlr: North  Q 3 2
Vul: E-W  Q 10 8 6
 K J 10 2
 Q 10
 10 9 8 7
54
N
32
74
W E
987
Q53
S
K876
A95432
AKJ6
AKJ95
A64
J
North
South
Pass
1
3
6
Pass
West leads the 10.
Bidding commentary: Though it
may look a bit strange for South to
leap to 6 without going through
Blackwood, there is much to be said
for bidding what you think you can
make without giving away any additional information. Playing simple
Blackwood if South tries 4NT, the
response is 5. Now East can make a
lead-directing double. As it turns out,
a club is the strongest lead. Without
the double, it is unlikely that West will
lead a club.
Lead commentary: With nothing
to go on, sequence leads are usually
best.
Play commentary: The idea is to
avoid the diamond guess even if you
fancy yourself a great queen guesser.
South wins the opening lead, draws
trump and plays three more rounds
of spades discarding a club from the
table. At this point, North and South
each have one club. Clubs have been

evened out. After South exits a club,
no matter who wins, declarer is home.
Either a diamond must be led, eliminating the guess, or a club returned, a
ruff-sluff, also eliminating the diamond guess. When given a ruff-sluff
and, the critical suit (diamonds) is
unevenly divided, declarer must ruff
in the longer diamond hand (North)
and discard from the shorter diamond
hand (South).
Dlr: South  A 6 5
Vul: E-W  K 10 8 2
Q65
K32
Q8
 10 9 7 4
N
543
976
W E
8732
 10 9 4
S
 Q J 10 8
976
KJ32
AQJ
AKJ
A54
North
2
6NT
West leads the Q.

South
2
2NT
Pass

Bidding commentary: South's
artificial 2 opening followed by
a 2NT rebid shows 22-24 high-card
points, balanced. The 2 response is
played as waiting and unlimited, and
the raise to 6NT is clear, holding 12
HCP facing 22-24 HCP. Why not Stayman by North? In general, it does not
pay to use Stayman with a 4-3-3-3
pattern.
1. If no fit is found, opener's rebid
gives away his distribution.
2. It gives the opponents a chance to

Eddie Kantar
www.kantarbridge.com

double the Stayman club response
for a lead.
3. If a 4-4 fit is uncovered, the opener may also have a 4-3-3-3 hand
pattern and the deal may play just
as well at notrump.
4. Trumps may break obscenely and
notrump might play easier even if
there is a 4-4 fit.
Conversely, if a 4-4 fit is uncovered
and opener has a side suit doubleton,
the deal frequently plays at least one
trick better in a 4-4 fit.
Play commentary: Declarer should
start by counting sure tricks outside
of spades, the suit he plans to work
on. With nine sure tricks outside of
spades, declarer needs three, not four,
spade tricks.
Spade combination commentary:
For four tricks, East must have
Q x x, a miserable 18% chance. For
three tricks, however, a seemingly
unusual play is called for. Start with
the K, cross to the ace and then
lead low to the jack. Any time the suit
breaks 3-3, or any time East has the
queen, three tricks are assured. In addition, whenever West has a doubleton queen (see diagram) you pick up
three tricks.
r
May 2011 Bridge Bulletin

http://www.kantarbridge.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of May 2011