THE deal comes from Holland, with Dutch international Berry Westra sitting South. His partner’s 1NT had shown 14-16 points and he was tempted to look for a slam. With the comfortable contract of 3NT a distant memory, he had to make eleven tricks in 5D. How would you tackle this contract when West leads the six of clubs (hoping to reach his partner’s hand for a heart ruff) and dummy’s king wins the trick? Westra played on dummy reversal lines. He ruffed a club at Trick 2, returned to dummy with a trump and ruffed another club. A trump to dummy allowed him to ruff the fourth round of clubs with the last trump in the South hand. Westra returned to dummy with a spade to the ace, drew the last trump and set up his eleventh trick by leading towards the king of hearts. He scored three trumps in the North hand, three diamond ruffs, three spades, one club and one heart. West was too fancy with his choice of opening lead. Suppose he leads an `unimaginative’ jack of spades. Provided he ducks when a club is led from the South hand (after two rounds of trumps), the contract cannot be made!
What will you say now on these West cards?
Answer Some players would rebid 4S but this is a bit of an overbid, particularly if it is your style to raise the responder’s major suit on three-card support (a method that I recommend). You should make a game try of 3S, or perhaps 3H to show where your values lie. If partner then says 3NT he will doubtless have only three-card spade support and something useful in clubs. It will then be a close decision whether you pass or bid 4S.
THE deal comes from Holland, with Dutch international Berry Westra sitting South. His partner’s 1NT had shown 14-16 points and he was tempted to look for a slam. With the comfortable contract of 3NT a distant memory, he had to make eleven tricks in 5D. How would you tackle this contract when West leads the six of clubs (hoping to reach his partner’s hand for a heart ruff) and dummy’s king wins the trick? Westra played on dummy reversal lines. He ruffed a club at Trick 2, returned to dummy with a trump and ruffed another club. A trump to dummy allowed him to ruff the fourth round of clubs with the last trump in the South hand. Westra returned to dummy with a spade to the ace, drew the last trump and set up his eleventh trick by leading towards the king of hearts. He scored three trumps in the North hand, three diamond ruffs, three spades, one club and one heart. West was too fancy with his choice of opening lead. Suppose he leads an `unimaginative’ jack of spades. Provided he ducks when a club is led from the South hand (after two rounds of trumps), the contract cannot be made!
Some players would rebid 4S but this is a bit of an overbid, particularly if it is your style to raise the responder’s major suit on three-card support (a method that I recommend). You should make a game try of 3S, or perhaps 3H to show where your values lie. If partner then says 3NT he will doubtless have only three-card spade support and something useful in clubs. It will then be a close decision whether you pass or bid 4S.