Answer to

Hand of the week commencing Sunday 8th  April 2007  

 

You are West plan your defence

 

 

 

ª

A K 6 5 3

 

 

 

Dealer South

©

J

 

 

 

Neither Vul

¨

Q 10 3

 

 

 

 

§

K J 4 3

 

 

 

 

 

N

 

 

ª

Q 10 9 8 4 2

 

 

ª

 

©

 K 8 4 2

 

W                          E

©

A Q 9 7 6 3

¨

J 6 2

 

 

¨

9 7 5 4

§

  

 

 

§

7 6 5

 

 

 

S

 

 

 

 

ª

J 7

 

 

 

 

©

10 5

 

 

 

 

¨

A K 8

 

 

 

 

§

A Q 10 9 8 2  

 

 

W

N

E

S

 

 

 

 

1§

 

NO

1ª

DBL

2§

 

2©

3©

NO

5§

 

NO

6§

DBL

NO

 

NO

NO

 

 

 

 

Now that the auction is over you need to analyze what partner’s second double was all about. To double for +100 instead of +50 at this level is a pointless exercise. If partner had not doubled, then you would automatically be leading Hearts, partner’s bid suit. So the double is saying “WAKE UP and LEAD SOMETHING UNUSUAL”. This double is called the Lightner Double Named after the late Theodore Lightner  from New York , and generally asks for dummy’s first bid suit to be led or  something extraordinary. Without further ado you  should be leading the ª9 which partner will duly ruff and he can cash his ©A to set the contract. Any other lead and declarer draws trumps and claims an easy 12 tricks. (NB If East is extremely greedy and believes the ª9 to be a suit preference signal for a Heart return then he might underlead his Heart ace to put West in for another Spade ruff. However this “East” would be bordering on the edge of insanity.)

 

return to homepage