Hand of the week

Hand of the week, week commencing, Sunday 8th May 2022

Plan your play in 3NT after the ♠Queen is led.

If you would like to play this hand out then click here

Dealer: West Vuln: All

♠	K 7 3
♥	Q 3
♦	Q J 8 7 4
♣	J 7 6

♠	Q J 9 6 5 2
♥	5 2
♦	5 3
♣	5 3 2

	N
W		E
W		E
	S

♠	8 4
♥	K J 7 6
♦	10 9 2
♣	A K 8 4

♠	A 10
♥	A 10 9 8 4
♦	A K 6
♣	Q 10 9

W	N	E	S
Pass	Pass	Pass	1NT
Pass	3NT	End

1NT - 15-17

3NT - Upgraded 9 points up to 10

Initially without doing any work at all you have 7 winners ie. 2 Spades, 1 Heart and 4 Diamonds.

As long as the Diamonds are no worse than 4:1 you will make a fifth Diamond.

Now you need to find one more.

If you go after clubs, you will have to dislodge two cards (Ace and King) and then they might be able to get their Spades going.

However, if you go after Hearts you will be better placed to make up to 3 extra tricks.

As long as West doesn't have both the King and Jack of Hearts you will be able to bring the suit in for 4 tricks - your chances of success being 75%

With all this in mind, make sure you win the first trick in dummy, to take a Heart finesse against East. You play the Heart Queen and East kindly covers and now its a matter of conceding the second heart trick to East, East gets off lead with a Spade which his partner originally led,

Now you make 3 more Heart tricks

You eventually make 2 Spades, 4 Hearts 5 Diamonds losing just one Heart and 1 club at the end.

(Seeing all those Heart winners on the table, East might try Ace King of clubs before playing a Spade back and then you will only make 10 tricks.

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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