NORTH
; A J 7 6 5 4
k 9 2
l 6 2
' A 6 2
WEST EAST
; K Q 9 2 ; 8 3
k Q 7 6 3 k J 10 5
l K 10 l Q 9 7 5 3
' J 7 3 ' 10 8 4
SOUTH
; 10
k A K 8 4
l A J 8 4
' K Q 9 5
Vulnerable: Neither
Dealer: East
The bidding:
South West North East
Pass
1 l Dbl. 1 ; Pass
2 ' Pass 2 ; Pass
2 NT Pass 3 NT All pass
Opening Lead: Heart three
"Picket lines, school boycotts They try to say it's a communist plot All I want is equality For my sister, my brother, my people, and me."
-- Nina Simone
See if you can spot the two mistakes in today's three-no-trump contract after West's heart lead goes to the 10 and ace.
Declarer led out the spade 10, ducking West's queen. On the heart continuation, he captured East's heart jack and cashed three clubs, ending on table. He then stranded dummy's spade ace by playing a diamond to his eight. West won with the 10, cashed the heart queen and exited with the heart seven.
When declarer took the fourth heart and cashed his long club, West could either pitch a spade (to be endplayed with a diamond, giving dummy two spades) or jettison the diamond king (allowing East to be thrown in with a low diamond instead).
West should have played the diamond king after cashing the heart queen. If South won, he would later have to lead diamonds to East's queen-nine. If declarer ducked instead, only then would West exit with the heart seven, throwing declarer in to concede a diamond to East.
Declarer's error was in ducking the first diamond. He knew West had short diamonds (probably including a diamond honor to make up his bid), and the odds favored him holding a doubleton or singleton. Declarer should play a diamond to the ace and then cash the fourth club. He can next exit with a diamond to West. When the heart queen is taken, declarer dumps the eight under it, establishing West's heart seven but also forcing West to lead into the spade tenace. It will not help West to unblock his diamond king today.
BID WITH THE ACES
South holds:
; 8 3
k J 10 5
l Q 9 7 5 3
' 10 8 4
South West North East
2 NT Pass
?
ANSWER: Should you pass, raise to three no-trump or risk Stayman, planning to pass a three-diamond call? Game could be making if partner fits your diamonds, but you might have too many losers even so -- for example, on a spade lead -- especially if partner has a bare 20-count. So, I would pass. Make the club four a heart, and I'd bid Stayman.
If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, email him at