Entries
West deals. N-S vulnerable.
♠ J 9 3
♥ K Q J 10 7
♦ 7 6
♣ 7 6 4
♠ A K 5 4
♥ 2
♦ A Q 10 4
♣ A K J 2
| West | North | East | South |
| Pass | Pass | 2♠ | 3NT |
| All Pass |
East opened a weak 2♠ bid in third seat, finding South with this very nice hand. South had no good bid to make and chose 3NT. Normally this bid is used to show a hand with a running suit and a stopper in their suit, and perhaps one more high card.
♠ K 3
♥ 8 3
♦ A 3
♣ A K Q 7 6 5 4
is typical. That South did not have the typical hand was not his fault. South saw that the alternative bid of double risked North bidding hearts excessively. So he opted for the 3NT choice.
West led the ♠10. How should South play?
South was elated with this lead and he immediately covered with dummy’s jack. His plan was to win East’s queen and then knock out the♥. South would get to dummy with the ♠9 and would make an overtrick or two. Or not.
Turned out that the operative word was ‘not’. At trick one, South found he was in dummy. East had not covered the jack as expected. So much for speed. ow South had to slow down and think.
It was too late to think. South tried the club finesse, hoping to win that and then steal a heart trick. The club finesse lost and the hand fell apart. Much later in the hand, South tried stealing the heart trick but even that little ploy failed. When South led the ♥2 West played the nine, showing an even number. East knew enough to win the trick and it all added up to down three.
| ♠ J 9 3 | ||
| ♥ K Q J 10 7 | ||
| ♦ 7 6 | ||
| ♣ 7 6 4 | ||
| ♠ 10 | ♠ Q 8 7 6 2 | |
| ♥ 9 8 4 3 | ♥ A 6 5 | |
| ♦ K J 8 3 | ♦ 9 5 2 | |
| ♣ Q 9 8 5 | ♣ 10 3 | |
| ♠ A K 5 4 | ||
| ♥ 2 | ||
| ♦ A Q 10 4 | ||
| ♣ A K J 2 |
Was 3NT always going down? You can see all four hands now. While you are thinking about it, you might wish to note that East’s 2♠ bid was one of the ugliest bids of all times. There are authors in the Bulletin who advocate pushy weak two-bids, but I do not imagine any of them would recommend this one. Still, it was effective in that it caused South problems. What the weak two bid did not do was cause South to play poorly. He did that all by himself.
The correct play? South should duck the ♠10 in dummy and take the trick in hand. Knock out the ♥A and later lead a spade to the jack. East can win but South has three spades, four hearts, and three tricks in the minors. He will get 10 tricks. A slightly different assortment of tricks than he originally expected, but 10 tricks.