DISCIPLINE PAYS

Have you ever heard of the contract being in the same suit in the N-S direction in the Open Room and in the E-W direction in the Closed Room? I doubt very much. Yet, that was exactly what happened recently in an IMP match. Let us see it double-dummy. Enjoy the fun.

How the defence went: West led the HA and switched to the D5. Declarer won with the king, played a diamond to the ace, and ruffed the third diamond. Declarer finessed the spades for three tricks in the suit and cashed the CA. He then led a club from dummy and ruffed it in hand. West over ruffed, but had to give a trump trick to the declarer. Result: 200 to E-W.

How the defence went: North led the CA and continued with the two for partner to ruff. South cashed the DK and played a second diamond. North won and played a third diamond. South ruffed and the defence switched to spades to collect three tricks there. South ruffed a club and declarer over ruffed but had to give a trump trick to south. Result: 800 to N-S.

Discussion: A weak-two opening should generally suggest a fair six-card suit with a side honour, something like: S K-J-T-x-x-x H x-x D K-x-x C x-x or a good six-card suit with nothing on the side, something like: S A-K-J-T-x-x H x-x D x-x-x C x-x. To open 2H with the jack-empty seventh was atrocious to say the least.

South in the closed room was a disciplined player. He passed in the first seat and collected the booty by converting his partner’s take-out double to a penalty.

West in open room thought he would get five trump tricks in defence, but it was reduced to four! Similarly, west in the closed room thought he would certainly take five tricks as declarer, but could only manage four!

By being disciplined, the closed room south collected 800 instead of giving away 200. Do you now agree that discipline pays?