Hell of a Bid, Hell of a Play

Playing with a strong expert and we’ve had a few good games recently — winning a Swiss team game and losing a club game with 68%. We have a mild clash in bidding styles, but are getting along well enough. We are doing well in todays sectional game when I pick up:

S: KQT9x H: Q8xx D: xx C: Ax

I don’t necessarily open 11 counts, but when I have 9+ cards in the majors I strive to open. (The first hand of the session I picked up AKQxx xxxx x Jxx and passed with some regret. If the Jack had been in hearts I probably would have opened, ten count be damned). So I open 1 Spade. LHO passes and Partner bids 2 Spades. RHO bids 3 Diamonds. I have already shown my hand and so I pass. LHO bids 3 Hearts and partner thinks for a bit and emerges with 4 Spades!

Partner is an expert, so I’m guessing that she has a maximum with club values and is expecting that my hand will fit nicely based on the opponents bidding. I wish my heart queen were somewhere else, but that’s neither here nor there. The opponents pass this out and LHO tables the 9 of diamonds.

Dummy: S: Axx H: x D: xxx C: KQTxxx

My hand (repeated) S: KQT9x H: Q8xx D: xx C: Ax

RHO wins the diamond queen and continues with the ace and king. LHO played a lower diamond on the second round so I assume they are 2=6.

If I can catch the spade jack I make. One option is to ruff the diamond with the ten. If RHO has the spade jack, I’m pretty much done (assuming the black suits break, but I don’t think I can do much if they don’t). Do I have any clues?

Well, LHO bid three hearts so that should be five or six hearts. Really it should be six, but if LHO had six hearts she might have bid it directly over 1 Spade. So I expect each opp to have 8 red cards, so the theory of vacant spaces doesn’t tell me. But there’s a small chance that LHO has 7 red cards and RHO has 9.

I also know that LHO likely doesn’t have the AK of hearts (which would be a much better lead). So RHO has AKQ of diamonds and either A or K of hearts.

LHO is light on points, but the SJ doesn’t really matter. Still, she scrounged up a bid on Ace of hearts and basically out, a few jacks could matter (in her mind).

Could LHO have only five hearts? I suppose its possible, but why not pass 3 diamonds. Partner bid it freely, you have a doubleton. Enough is a enough. Maybe …. LHO had three spades maybe she’d think that partner is short of spades and you’d want to be ruffing with the short side of trumps. I think the fewer spades LHO has, the happier she is passing three diamonds. (With AKQxxx of diamonds, I’d overcall 3 diamonds without looking at my spades).

Honestly, none of these arguments are great; I think it’s close to an even guess. But all of my “well, maybes” point to LHO having the jack. Another maybe — if RHO had Jx(x) of spades she might think it was less likely that LHO could over-ruff and might have tried cashing a high heart first. I’m still close to a guess — the good news is that I have the 9 of spades. If I guess wrong I’m only down one as I can afford to ruff a heart with the spade ace if the opponents do anything tricky.

So, I mentally shrug and ruff with the spade king and then lead the spade ten and float it. When this wins I finesse again and then cash the spade ace. Spades break. I lead a club to the ace and when both follow I claim.

Four spades making five. Not only have we gotten to game, I’ve made an overtrick. Was there anything to my reasoning? Don’t know, but picking up those few extra percentage points is often the difference.

Next hand is an easy auction and I get to four spades again.

Dummy: S: KQJ9 H: Q9xx D: xxx C: Ax

My Hand S: Axxxx H: ATx D: Kx C: Kxx

Partner opened 1 diamond and after she raised my one spade to two I bid game.

LHO leads the three of clubs. On a bad day I could lose two diamonds and two hearts. It would have to be a pretty bad day, admittedly. But with the heart ten and nine I think I have another small extra percent. With that suit, I can play either opponent for KJx for one loser, but I have to commit and if the honors are split I’d have two losers if guess wrong.

I win with the club ace and play ace of spades and a spade. LHO shows out on the spade, but I think I have a partial elimination. Leaving one trump out, I play a club to the king and ruff a club with the 9 of spades. (Clubs should be 4=4 or 5=3, it would be strange to lead the club three from a six card suit). Now I play a small heart to the ten. LHO wins with the jack, but either red suit will save me a guess.

LHO thinks for a while and leads another club.

Hm. I now realize that I should have pulled the two rounds of trump with the KQ and kept the spade ace to protect against this play. If clubs are 4=4 it doesn’t matter, but if they are 5-3 I’m losing a trip as if I ruff high the spade ten sets up.

Why did LHO lead a club knowing it would quite possibly give a ruff and sluff? Well, if he only had four, that would same safe. But also, if he’s looking at the diamond ace then perhaps all plays look like they give up a trick. I decide to play for that. I discard a diamond. RHO does indeed ruff with the spade ten and I pitch a diamond, I’ve simply traded tricks.

RHO cashes the diamond ace.

OK, my clever play is not working out. At this point I have nothing left to do but win the next trick and hope that heart honors were split. I ruff the next diamond, cross to dummy and lead the heart queen. When RHO covers I can claim, winning the ace as dummy’s 9 is high. Making four when the field is likely to make five in any easy way. I’ve brough the round back down to average.

Fortunately the rest of the day goes well and we continue our winning streak.