WITH 10 points and four-card spade support, the North hand represents an obvious raise to 3S. Those players who like to rely on the Losing Trick Count will assess it as ten losers, adding one for there being no aces in the hand. On that basis, you would be pushing it to raise to 2S! It just shows what a rough rule the Losing Trick Count is. Anyway, how would you play the spade game when West leads the queen of diamonds? You win with the ace of diamonds, draw trumps with the ace and king and lead the queen of clubs from dummy. Let’s say that East decides not to cover. Your aim is to eliminate the minor suits and to throw West on lead, forcing him to open the hearts or to concede a ruff-and-discard. With this aim in mind, you should continue with the jack of clubs. East has to cover and you win with the ace. You cross to the king of diamonds and ruff a diamond, eliminating that suit. Finally you exit with the eight of clubs. When the cards lie as in the diagram, West is forced to win the third round of clubs. He is endplayed and will have to give you the game-going trick. You see the point of leading the jack on the second round of clubs? If you eliminated diamonds and played ace and another club instead, East would gain the lead and sink the contract by switching to the queen of hearts. What will you rebid?
Answer
Partner’s 2H response promises at least a five-card suit, so you should be happy with hearts as trumps. Since partner is a passed hand, it is unlikely that a slam can be made and you should simply raise to 4H. A raise to just 3H would be non-forcing and an underbid. In a recent teams-of-eight match, three out of four Easts rebid 3D and their partners all passed! 3D should have been forcing, of course.
Awards: 4H - 10, 4C (splinter) - 7, 3D - 6, 3H (splinter bid) - 3, 4NT - 2.
WITH 10 points and four-card spade support, the North hand represents an obvious raise to 3S. Those players who like to rely on the Losing Trick Count will assess it as ten losers, adding one for there being no aces in the hand. On that basis, you would be pushing it to raise to 2S! It just shows what a rough rule the Losing Trick Count is. Anyway, how would you play the spade game when West leads the queen of diamonds? You win with the ace of diamonds, draw trumps with the ace and king and lead the queen of clubs from dummy. Let’s say that East decides not to cover. Your aim is to eliminate the minor suits and to throw West on lead, forcing him to open the hearts or to concede a ruff-and-discard. With this aim in mind, you should continue with the jack of clubs. East has to cover and you win with the ace. You cross to the king of diamonds and ruff a diamond, eliminating that suit. Finally you exit with the eight of clubs. When the cards lie as in the diagram, West is forced to win the third round of clubs. He is endplayed and will have to give you the game-going trick. You see the point of leading the jack on the second round of clubs? If you eliminated diamonds and played ace and another club instead, East would gain the lead and sink the contract by switching to the queen of hearts.
Answer