February 2015 - 53

Intermediate Players

Misplay These Hands with Me
BY MARK HORTON

Spot the mistake
Senior events are all the rage, and as
more experts attain the requisite status, the events are becoming stronger.
During a round-robin match, I pick up
a hand with potential:
♠ A K Q 10 4 2 ♥ K 8 ♦- ♣J 9 8 6 5.
With both sides vulnerable, I open
1♠ and my partner responds with a
game-forcing 2♦. I show my second
suit with 3♣ and partner bids 4♣,
which we play as agreeing clubs and
asking for key cards. I respond 4♦ to
show one or four key cards, and partner
continues with 4♥, asking about the
trump queen. When I bid 4♠ denying
it, he jumps to 6♣.
This has been our scientific auction:
West

North

East

Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass

2♦
4♣
4♥
6♣

Pass
Pass
Pass
All Pass

South
1♠
3♣
4♦
4♠

West leads the ♥10 and I get an impressive dummy:
♠5
♥A
♦AK98653
♣AK74
♠ A K Q 10 4 2
♥K8
♦-
♣J9865
I win with dummy's ace (East following with the 6) and cash the ♣A,
East discarding the ♥3. That's a blow,

but I still have chances. I duck a club
to West's 10, win the heart return and
play the ♣6. Annoyingly, West puts up
the queen, preventing me from winning with the 7 and ruffing a diamond.
I take the king, pitch two spades on the
top diamonds and then have to decide
how best to play the spades. By now,
East has played five hearts, and I'm
inclined to place him with four spades,
so I play a spade to the 10. When West
wins with the jack, I am one down.
Time to look at the full deal:
♠5
♥A
♦AK98653
♣AK74
♠J6
♠9873
♥ Q 10 9 2
♥J76543
♦J74
♦ Q 10 2
♣ Q 10 3 2
♣-
♠ A K Q 10 4 2
♥K8
♦-
♣J9865
Postmortem
Declarer's play in the spade suit was
well thought out, but unnecessary. At
trick two, he should play the ♣8 under
the ace, then a club to the 9 and 10. By
retaining the ♣6 5, declarer will have
two entries to dummy, allowing him to
ruff a diamond and establish the suit.
In the other room, South jumped to
3♠ over North's 2♦, implying a solid
suit, and North leapt to 7♠, which East
doubled. When West led a diamond,
declarer ruffed and cashed the top
spades for a spectacular swing.
◾

East hands for the
February Bidding Box

Bid these hands with a partner. The
West hands are on page 60. The
North-South players are silent unless
otherwise noted. Scores on page 37-39.
Problem 1. North deals. None vul.
♠K 10 7 5 2 ♥- ♦9 3 2 ♣A K 8 6 5
Problem 2. East deals. N-S vul.
♠K 2 ♥A 7 ♦A 9 5 3 ♣A K 9 8 7
Problem 3. South deals. E-W vul.
♠A J 9 6 2 ♥K Q 4 ♦K 8 7 ♣A K
Problem 4. West deals. Both vul.
♠A Q 6 ♥10 8 5 2 ♦A 3 ♣A 10 9 2
Problem 5. North deals. None vul.
♠A K Q 8 6 3 2 ♥K ♦8 6 4 ♣A 8
Problem 6. East deals. E-W vul.
♠K J 3 ♥Q J 8 6 5 3 ♦5 ♣Q J 7
Problem 7. South deals. N-S vul.
♠10 8 7 6 2 ♥A J 10 6 ♦7 ♣K J 2
Problem 8. West deals. Both vul.
South overcalls 1♥ if possible, or 2♥.
North raises to 2♥, or 3♥ if possible.
♠7 4 3 ♥10 7 ♦Q 9 8 3 2 ♣K J 4
February 2015 Bridge Bulletin

53
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2015
