Pupils should learn by misplaying the dummy

Cy the Cynic defines a contract as an agreement binding only on the weaker party — or on the party with the weaker lawyer.

I know of professionalpupil partnerships who try to place every contract so that the weaker player is dummy. I avoided that approach with my pupils. I wanted them to improve, and if they had to learn by misplaying a dummy, I didn’t mind.

A benefit of “transfer” responses to 1NT is to make the stronger hand declarer so the opening lead comes around to, not through, his strength. In today’s deal, most pairs would make North declarer at four hearts. The auction would be 1NT-two diamonds, two hearts-three hearts, four hearts. The contract would be cold even with trumps split 4-1. North could take five trumps, a diamond and a spade, and could also win three clubs.

In the old-style auction shown, South leaps to four hearts, and West leads the eight of diamonds. Suppose declarer finesses with dummy’s queen, and East takes the king and returns the jack.

South wins and cashes the K-A of trumps. When West discards, South is sunk. He must lose a trump, a club and another diamond.

South must play low from dummy on the first diamond. East can win with the 10 and shift to spades, but South takes the ace and plays four rounds of trumps. He ruffs East’s spade return and attacks the clubs to get a discard for his diamond loser, making four.

Transfer responses don’t always gain, but most pairs use them. Besides making the stronger hand declarer, transfers provide more ways to investigate for the best contract.