Simple Saturday
“Simple Saturday” columns focus on improving basic technique and developing logical thinking.
You’re declarer at today’s 3NT, and West leads a low heart. This is an easy contract. Count your tricks. Force out the ace of diamonds next, making sure of three diamonds, two spades, two hearts and two clubs.
If you start by leading the jack of spades to finesse, East will take the queen and return a heart. West will set up two long hearts with the ace of diamonds as an entry. Since you will have only eight tricks — four spades, two hearts and two clubs — you will go down.
OTHER TABLE
In a team-of-four match, one South mysteriously misplayed 3NT to go down. But the other South did worse. He landed at four spades, and West led his singleton club.
South won and should have taken the A-K of trumps; he would have had at most three losers. But South finessed in trumps, and East won and led his singleton diamond. Then the defense engineered a crossruff for down three!
DAILY QUESTION
You hold: ♠ 76 ♥ A9 7 6 4 ♦ A 6 5 4 2 ♣ 7. Your partner opens one club, you bid one heart and he rebids two clubs. What do you say?
ANSWER: It seems natural to bid two diamonds, but a new-suit bid by responder would be forcing, suggesting more strength. Pass. Partner has six or more clubs and should manage eight tricks, but a higher contract might fail. When the deal seems to be a misfit and you have no compensating high-card strength, stop bidding. South dealer Both sides vulnerable