September 2021 - 61

Advanced Players
SOLUTIONS TO TEST YOUR PLAY
Problems are on page 59.
1
 5 4 3 2
k K 9 7 5
l 4
' 7 5 4 3
 A K Q
k Q 8 4 2
l Q J 3
' A J 6
 9 8 7 6
k 10 3
l K 8 6 5
' K 10 9
 J 10
k A J 6
l A 10 9 7 2
' Q 8 2
You have eight sure tricks in diamonds
and spades and must come up
with the best play for tricks in clubs
and hearts. Any brilliant ideas?
Here is the most brilliant: Lead a
third diamond to your 10 and next
play a low heart (the key play). If
West has the king and rises, you have
12 tricks: five diamonds, three spades,
three hearts and a club. West does
better to duck the trick. Also, if West
ducks with the king and the queen
wins, you have 12 tricks by leading a
low club: five diamonds, three spades,
two hearts and two clubs.
But say West plays low and East
wins the trick and returns a heart (or
a spade). Cash the kA J, and if they
break 3-3, you have 12 tricks. If they
don't, you still have the club finesse in
reserve for tricks 11 and 12. You have
taken all your chances.
2
At matchpoints: This is a
normal contract and most pairs
will be in it. It appears from the
carding that hearts are 5-3, so
once they get in with the lA, you can
expect to lose four hearts and the lA
for down one. This figures to be an
average result.
At IMPs: At IMP scoring, you play
to make. Conceding a diamond is
conceding down one, but you have a
chance to make the contract without
playing diamonds. If you can score
eight black-suit tricks to go along
with the heart trick you have already
taken, you will make 3NT.
Of course your chances of taking
eight black-suit tricks not only
require that both black-suit finesses
work, but that West has no more than
three clubs headed by the queen.
What you have to do is to cash the 'A
(in case East has a singleton queen),
overtake the 10 with the J, and
run the 'J hoping for four clubs
tricks. Assuming clubs come in for
four tricks, lead the 8, overtaking
with the 9, giving you four tricks in
that suit as well.
My math may be shaky, but I think
your chances of taking eight blacksuit
tricks are about 15-20%. Nevertheless,
at IMP scoring it's worth the
gamble of going down an extra trick
(down two instead of down one, an
extra 50 points) to have a 15-20%
chance to make a game contract.
The pair players who try to make
the contract and go down two will get
a below-average result, while you will
wind up with an above-average result
going down only one. On the other
hand, the pairs who bid and make
3NT, taking and making both finesses,
will get a top. And so it goes.
IT'S
YOUR
CALL
continued from page 43
" I'm planning a Kokish sequence to
show hearts and diamonds, not balanced,
and too good for a 1k opener.
Game, after all, is fine facing:
K J x x kx x x lx x x 'x x x. "
Donn: " I think it's basically always
right to open 2' with 22 HCP so
partner can judge what to do with
different point totals. After 1k then
3l, partner will bid 3NT with 11
points if we didn't find a fit, and we
probably belong in slam. "
Lee, 2': " Sometimes the simple
bid is also the best one. "
Meyers finds more complexity.
Her choice is 1k. " I have the values
to open 2' or 2NT, but I don't have
the tricks, nor do I know - if I opened
2' - whether to rebid 2NT or 2k.
If I open 1k and partner responds, I
will be well placed for my next bid. If
partner passes 1k, we don't have a
game. "
Grossack, 1k. " I'll figure out
what's next later. Not vulnerable, I'm
not overly terrified that 1k will get
passed out. "
Boehm also prefers 1k. " I have no
aversion to opening notrump with
a singleton ace or king, but I don't
foresee rebid problems. If partner
passes 1k, he usually passes 2NT
and 1k is a safer spot. If you favor a
notrump opening on this hand type,
better play puppet Stayman so you
can recover your 5-3 major-suit fits. "
1k by Korbel. " This doesn't meet
my standards for a 2' opening. "
Molson, a decisive 1k. " I am not
going to get involved doing anything
else. "
September 2021 | Bridge Bulletin |
61
September 2021

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