Hand of the week

Hand of the week, week commencing, Sunday 25th February 2024

Plan your play in 3♥ after the ♠3 is led

If you would like to play this out click here

Dealer: East Both Vul

♠	9 7 6
♥	J 9 6 3
♦	K Q 10 6
♣	J 7

♠	Q J 4 3
♥	7 5 2
♦	8 5
♣	K 5 4 2

	N
W		E
W		E
	S

♠	A 8 5 2
♥	Q 4
♦	7 3 2
♣	A 10 9 6

♠	K 10
♥	A K 10 8
♦	A J 9 4
♣	Q 8 3

W	N	E	S
		Pass	1NT¹
Pass	2♣²	Pass	2♥
Pass	Pass	2♠	Pass
Pass	3♥	End

1. Strong NT 15-17 2. Stayman

After some what bizarre bidding by East you are pushed to 3♥ instead of 2♥.

After the lead you have 7 winners ie 1 spade now, 2 Hearts and 4 diamonds. If the Hearts break favourably you will get 2 extra Heart tricks. and if you trump 1 club the total will eventually be 10.

When my so called expert partner originally played it. He won the first trick in hand and then played a diamond to dummy's King and tooj an immediate Heart finesse - running the Jack and got very lucky with East holding the Queen (and he never covered).

What is the point of safety plays unless you are going to make them?

Now lets replay. After winning the second Spade, play Heart Ace just in case there is a singleton Heart floating about. Now and only now can you enter dummy with a top diamond in order to take the Heart finesse. and the Queen covers dummy's Jack (because it was doubleton all along). Win with the Ace and draw the last trump. Now concede two clubs before ruffing a club.

You eventually make 1 Spade, 4 trumps, 4 Diamonds and 1 Club ruff.

If you would like to play this out click here

You can also play out the following hand to see how the hand pans out. (You need bridgvu.exe programme and it is available free from http://www.haroldschogger.com/movies.html )

alternatively watch the film of the hand being played out by going to www.haroldschogger.com/movies2.htm

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