Chapter 14
Good Guys, Bad Trumps
© 2006 - Marty Bergen
Page 153
Good Guys, Bad Trumps
Avoiding the Dangerous Opponent
Contract: 4
Lead:
 10 |
|
North
A
5
A
K J
K 8 7 5 3
K 7 6 |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
South
J
Q
10 9 8 6 5
A 4 2
8 5 3 |
|
|
West North
East South
--
1
1
3
Pass
4
All Pass
After
1
– 1,
you are not strong enough to bid 2,
but after partner opens, you’d like to show your suit. The
solution is to jump to 3,
an example of a Weak Jump-Shift (WJS) in Competition, promising
a weak hand with a long suit (6 or 7 cards). After partner
opens and your RHO doubles or bids (nonjump), your jump-shift
should be defined as weak.
Fortunately for you, West leads his partner’s suit. You wouldn’t
have enjoyed a club lead. On this auction, East probably has the
A.
© 2006- Marty Bergen
Page 154
Good Guys, Bad Trumps
You
could lose three clubs and a diamond. Clearly, you’d like to
establish dummy’s diamond suit and discard a club loser (or two)
after you concede a diamond. However, if West is able to gain
the lead, a club lead through dummy’s king would prove fatal.
In
fact, it would be fair to say that you are more than willing to
lose a trick to East as opposed to West. If East, the
harmless opponent, leads clubs, dummy’s
K
is a sure winner, because North would have the luxury of playing
fourth to the trick. One of the most important principles for
both declarers and defenders is: “if you have some strength,
playing last is best.”
On the
other hand, if you ever lose a trick to West, he should switch
to a club through your
K,
and then you rate to lose three club tricks and be down one. On
this hand, because West can hurt you if he obtains the lead, he
is the dangerous opponent.
Back
to trick one. You have an opportunity to lose a trick to East,
your current favorite opponent. Great! Although it is rare to
lose a trick in a suit contract with a singleton opposite an
ace, never say never, especially if you have a good reason.
Play
dummy’s
5
and let East win the trick. At this point, even if you showed
him your hand, he can’t hurt you. He is not endplayed; but,
because dummy plays last when East leads, he is welcome
to lead clubs.
© 2006- Marty Bergen
Page 155
Good Guys, Bad
Trumps
In
fact, East returns a spade. What loser will you discard from
your hand? Consider carefully before reading on.
When I
use this hand in my classes, too many students are eager to
discard a loser in their weakest suit (clubs). Not so fast! If
you do, you will still have the same problem you started with.
When you lose a diamond, West will win and shift to clubs, and
down you’ll go.
Instead, you must discard the
2.
You now have only two diamonds, so you no longer have to worry
about West’s winning a diamond trick and shifting to a club
through dummy’s
K.
As long as diamonds split 3-2, you can easily set them up by
ruffing the third round.
{N-S cards repeated for convenience}
Contract: 4
Lead:
10 |
|
North
A
5
A
K J
K 8 7 5 3
K 7 6 |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
South
J
Q
10 9 8 6 5
A 4 2
8 5 3 |
|
|
© 2006- Marty Bergen
Page 156
Good Guys, Bad Trumps
You cash the
A
and everyone follows.
You should
now temporarily abandon trumps. If diamonds split 4-1, you need
to save dummy’s
K
J to ensure
that
you’ll be able to set up dummy’s fifth diamond.
You cash the
A
and
K
and everyone follows. Finally, all is well. When you lead a
third diamond, East discards a spade, so you ruff low. Now that
the diamonds are established, you’re ready to draw West’s
remaining trumps with dummy’s
K
J. You discard two club losers on dummy’s now-lovely diamonds
and concede one club trick. Making five.
Here
is the entire deal:
Contract: 4
Lead:
10 |
|
North
A
5
A
K J
K 8 7 5 3
K 7 6 |
|
|
| |
West
10 9 8 2
7
3 2
Q J 9
J 10 2 |
|
East
K
Q 7 6 4 3
4
10 6
A Q 9 4 |
|
| |
|
South
J
Q
10 9 8 6 5
A 4 2
8 5 3 |
|
|
© 2006 - Marty Bergen
Chapter 15:
When Not to Trump Your Losers .................. 161
|
