| West | North | East | South |
| 1NT | |||
| Pass | 2 |
Pass | 2 |
| Pass | 3NT | Pass | Pass |
| Pass |
Bridge Brief Broadcast Archive |
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June 2, 2002
Its All in the Timing and Defensive Vision
Its All in the Timing
This hand came up in a recent class. You are in 3NT after this auction:
| West | North | East | South |
| 1NT | |||
| Pass | 2 |
Pass | 2 |
| Pass | 3NT | Pass | Pass |
| Pass |
West leads the 
7.
| North | ||
 864 |
||
| AK42 |
||
|
J4 |
||
| West |
Q1098 |
East |
| ??? |
??? |
|
| ??? |
??? |
|
|
??? |
??? |
|
|
??? |
South (you) |
??? |
| KQJ |
||
| 63 |
||
|
KQ52 |
||
|
AJ53 |
Plan the play.
Defensive Vision
This time you are East on defense. The auction proceeds:
| West | North | East | South |
| 1 |
Pass | 1 |
|
| Pass | 2NT | Pass | 3 |
| Pass | 4 |
Pass | Pass |
| Pass |
Partner leads the J.
| North | ||
| J108 |
||
| KQ |
||
|
KQJ86 |
||
| West |
AQJ |
East (you) |
| ??? |
52 |
|
| ??? |
A854 |
|
|
??? |
A75 |
|
|
??? |
South |
10765 |
| ??? |
||
| ??? |
||
|
??? |
||
|
??? |
Plan the defense.
Answers:
Its All in the Timing
The first thing to realize is that you just cannot make the hand without working on
the club suit. If a defender just cashed the
A you would still only have a chance at 2
spades, 2 hearts, 3 diamonds, and 1 club.
If the
K is favorable then you will still need three
tricks from the pointed suits (spades and diamonds). As long as hearts are 4-3
then no real problem exists. The danger is in a 5-2 heart division.
Win the heart and lead a top club from dummy.
If the club finesse is successful, then repeat it. Win the third club in the
South hand (with clubs 3-2) and lead a small diamond toward the
J. If East holds the
A, she cannot continue the attack on hearts
which provides you the time to attack spades. If West holds the
A she cannot play it without giving you 3
diamond tricks. Once the
J holds, shift to spades to get the needed
tricks.
If the club finesse is unsuccessful, then you will only survive if East holds
both remaining aces. Lead a diamond toward the
J and then lead spades.
If West holds the
K along with any ace then you cannot make the
hand.
The complete hand:
| North | ||
| 864 |
||
| AK42 |
||
|
J4 |
||
| West |
Q1098 |
East |
| 952 |
A1073 |
|
| J9875 |
Q10 |
|
|
97 |
A10863 |
|
|
K76 |
South (you) |
42 |
| KQJ |
||
| 63 |
||
|
KQ52 |
||
|
AJ53 |
Defensive Vision
You can take two tricks, but where are the other two coming from if you are
going to defeat 4?
You have only one natural heart and one natural diamond. The club suit offers no
hope irrespective of where the
K resides.
Partner must have a trump trick if you are to have any hope.
Three possibilities exist for a fourth trick:
1- Partner could hold two natural trump tricks.
2- Partner could hold a singleton diamond.
3- Partner could hold a doubleton diamond.
If #1 is the case, then what you do matters little.
If #2 is the case, then you play the
A and another diamond.
If #3 is the case, then you lead a small diamond so that when partner wins a
trump trick she can lead a second diamond to your
A to score the ruff.
Which is more likely case #2 or case #3?
Look back at the auction. South rebid 3
over North�s 2NT. With four diamonds and five spades South more likely would
have rebid 3. Also, partner may have well led a singleton
diamond. Case #3 is the most likely.
Return a small diamond at trick two.
The complete hand:
| North | ||
| J108 |
||
| KQ |
||
|
KQJ86 |
||
| West |
AQJ |
East (you) |
| K43 |
52 |
|
| J10763 |
A854 |
|
|
42 |
A75 |
|
|
832 |
South |
10765 |
| AQ976 |
||
| 92 |
||
|
1093 |
||
|
K94 |
-Gary King