frs1016@centurylink.net
When I watched today’s deal in a duplicate game at the club, East-West were a regular but volatile partnership — a dentist and a manicurist we call Tooth and Nail because that’s how they argue.
| Dlr: North | ♠ 7 4 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| Vul: N-S | ♥ A J 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| ♦ A Q 9 7 6 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| ♣ A | ||||||||||||||||||
| ♠ A Q 9 | ♠ J 10 6 5 | |||||||||||||||||
| ♥ 10 5 3 | ♥ K 9 7 | |||||||||||||||||
| ♦ J | ♦ 8 4 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| ♣ J 9 8 7 5 4 | ♣ K 10 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| ♠ K 8 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| ♥ Q 8 6 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| ♦ K 10 5 | ||||||||||||||||||
| ♣ Q 6 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Opening lead — ♣7
Against 3NT, Nail led the ♣7. After dummy’s ace won, declarer came to his ♦K and tried a heart finesse with dummy’s jack. Tooth took his king and cashed the ♣K : six, five, spade from dummy. He then led … another club. South made two overtricks.
Argument
Next came the inevitable argument.
Nail: “Why didn’t you shift to spades? The man had to have a club stopper to bid 2NT.”
Tooth: “He might have suggested notrump with J-6-2.”
Who was at fault?
I wouldn’t expect South to bid 2NT without a club trick, but the result was Nail’s fault. On the ♣K, she must protect her partner by playing the jack to deny possession of the queen. East will know to shift to the ♠J.
And that’s the whole tooth and nothing but.
Daily Question
You hold: ♠7 4 2 ♥A J 4 ♦A Q 9 7 6 2 ♣A.
You open 1♦, and your partner bids 1♥. North in today’s deal rebids 2 ♦ with this hand. Do you agree with that call?