Slamming a Slam
The Kibitzer is Shirley Wright
Shirley is Dazzled by Deal from Tuesday May 22
Jon Shuster
Shirley: This was the most spectacular deal I saw, when I watched Gator Bridge on Tuesday May 24. I will tell you what happened, and see if you can spot the errors in
bidding and play.
EW were vulnerable, and West dealt:
North
S-Q76
H-A65
D-A1098532
C-None
West East
S-AKJ1052 D-9843
H-K72 H-Q4
D-7 D-QJ
C-A63 C-K10754
South
S-None
H-J10983
D-K64
C-QJ982
The bidding proceeded as follows:
West North East South
1S 3D 3S P
4S P P 5D
5S P P 6D
D P P P
East led the HQ, South playing the H3, West the H2, and North the H5. East played a second Heart to the 8, K and A. Declarer pulled trump, and made 12 tricks consisting of 4H, 7D, and one S ruff. The result was +1090 NS. The other 5 results were NS: +420, +100 (twice), -50, amd -100(twice).
Can you spot any errors? (Please do not designate bad luck as errors.)
Solution:
Bidding errors:
Error 1: The first bidding error occurred when North bid 3D (preemptive).
This hand is far too strong and a simple 2D bid is in order. (This probably would have been followed by 2S (East), 3D from South, 4S by East, 5D by North. East’s 3S bid on the actual biding is not an error. A 3S bid on this bidding sequence is equivalent to a sound bid of 2S over 1S, perhaps 7-10 HCP points with 3 card support, or 5-8 HCP with 4 card support. With anything better, you just close your eyes and bid game. South was wise not to bid 4D immediately, as she hoped the final Contract might be 3S. She let the preempt do its work. Once EW bid game, she was also correct to sacrifice at 5D with such a nice supporting hand. South has no way of knowing the North hand was so powerful, including the side HA.
Error 2: West’s 5S bid was very poor, and this goes down 2 for a bad board, whether doubled or not.. North’s Pass of 5S was correct. A double (dangerous by North would get +500 in this case, but could give away the position of the SQ on other EW holdings. If East holds S-Kxxx and West holds AJ10xxx plus a Diamond void, a double leads to -850 NS and a pass +100, since otherwise, declarer will play the North hand as the more likely spade void candidate.
Error 3: South’s 6D bid was imaginative, but despite the result, was an unwise action. You do not expect to make 6D opposite a preempt. You have pushed the opponents to a discomfort zone for them, the five level. Suits are breaking poorly for them. When your opponents bid five of a major, the odds swing in your favor.
Play errors:
Error 4: The HQ lead was uncalled for. First, partner had two chances to make a lead directing bid in Hearts (4H after 3S, and 5H after 5D), and declined. So you can be absolutely certain that partner does not have the H-AK. Partner is also likely to have a void or small singleton diamond, making a Heart Ruff out of the question. The opening lead should be a Spade or a Diamond (equally acceptable, and I prefer the Diamond on the theory that the opponents must have wild distribution to reach 6D, and this may help contain a crossruff.) From the bidding, there is little chance you will beat the hand more than the value of your purported game (holding the opponents to 8 tricks would be required and not be expected. Yet your opponents are saving at the six level, one level higher than the field will likely go. So just play normally to keep your one trick advantage over those playing 5D doubled.
Error 5: Declarer’s Heart duck at trick 1 could and should have led to defeat of the 6D contract. But if declarer wins the HA at trick 1, and pulls two trump before reverting to Hearts, declarer has 4H winners, 1 S ruff, and 7 D winners, totaling 12
Error 6: After West discouraged with the H2 and North’s ill advised duck, East went through the stop sign with a second Heart. If East plays a Spade at trick 2, declarer cannot make 12 tricks, regardless of how she plays. At trick 2, it is easy for East to visualize 12 easy tricks for declarer on a Heart return with North marked with the HA, and unless North has 8 Diamonds, or the unlikely SA, there is no road to 12 tricks if a Spade is played next.
Error 7: Although it did not cost on this hand, the Heart K should not have been played at trick 2. Saving the HK blocks the Hearts, and if declarer held S-xxxx H-Axx D-AQJ10xxx C-none, declarer prevails if and only if West plays the HK at trick 2. The 12 tricks are 2S ruffs, 6 Diamonds, and 4 Hearts. But if the Hearts are blocked, there is no way to unblock the Hearts without sacrificing Spade ruffs or giving East a ruff in Hearts.
Lesson: Timing is critically important in play and defense. Sometimes you have to go slowly with passive defense, but at other times, you must act immediately to get your winners before they disappear, or attack entries to prevent a long suit from being run. Here, the defense has to get its act together to make dummy ruff early, to kill the Heart suit. As a defender, you have to visualize the hand and act accordingly. Other than the dummy, all three players erred in timing.
Footnotes: On a Spade lead, the contract is hopeless. If the DQ is led at trick 1, declarer’s most promising play is to assume trump are 2-1 (absolutely necessary) and that West Hearts are one of the following: KQx, Kx, Qx, KQ doubleton, 3 small Hearts, a singleton Q, or a singleton K. The proper play is to win the DQ with the DA in hand, and play a Diamond to the K, extracting all of the trump. The HJ is led next, and if West plays low, duck it to East.
(a) if West started with KQx of Hearts, and splits his honors, you return a Heart, making the same 12 tricks. (b) If the J is not covered and loses to East, East will make you ruff a Spade, and you have no choice but to play the HA and hope the remaining honor falls. Dummy is out of side entries except for the possibility that the H10 will be high. Note that if West started with H-KQxx, EW can prevail as long as West plays low on the HJ and again on the H10. The Hearts get blocked. Declarer gets 7D, 3H, and one S ruff, totaling 11 tricks.