Australian Under 26 Team by IAN THOMSON White House Juniors Amsterdam and APBF Juniors Bangkok Tournaments
and receive the lead of the
2, noting this discussion would not be occurring if you’d received a spade lead.
At favourable vulnerability, partner dealt and opened 1
, and
the next hand bid 1. You show 4+ hearts by doubling 1
(transfers in competition), partner splinters, and you drive to 6.
After the 2 lead, the hand can make if you can manage to lose only one heart and are able to ruff a diamond. You make a spade, three hearts, a diamond, six clubs and a ruff for 12 tricks. How should you play hearts if they break 4-1, without compromising any of the 3-2 breaks? There are ten combinations of the 4-1 split: five singletons on your left, and five singletons on your right.
Summary of the success rate of logical plays:
| Logical Plays | RHO singleton | LHO singleton | Total |
| Small to theA: |
1 from 5 * | 1 from 5 * | 2 from 10 |
| Q from hand: |
2 from 5 | 2 from 5 | 4 from 10 |
| Small to the J: |
2 from 5 | 4 from 5 | 6 from 10 |
| Logical Plays | RHO singleton | LHO singleton | Total |
| Small to theA: |
1 from 3 | 0 from 4 | 1 from 7 |
| Q from hand: |
2 from 3 | 1 from 4 | 3 from 7 |
| Small to the J: |
1 from 3 | 4 from 4 | 5 from 7 |
, and LHO did not bid to 2or higher, or mention spades. Therefore left hand opponent is unlikely to have extreme shape, such as four diamonds and
a club void.
2. RHO did not make a takeout double of 1, but is likely to be short in clubs.
3. RHO did not make a Lightner double, therefore probably has one or two of three missing clubs. LHO did not lead a club.
4. We have 25 HCP and they have 15 HCP.
5. LHO has led a small diamond, not a spade.
6. Opponents are vulnerable, we are not vulnerable.
7. It is unlikely that this slam has been bid at the other table. Therefore, you are playing for a 22-imp swing (plus or minus 11).
Constructing the opponents shape and high cards:
1. Probable club distribution: LHO two, RHO one.
2. We are missing ten diamonds, and they were not raised by LHO. Likely distribution is 4-6 or 3-7 (with a hand not good enough to preempt at adverse vulnerability).
3. Spades are 5-3 or 4-4, possibly 6-2, but LHO did not bid 1
.
4. Hearts are unknown, except RHO probably has 3+ spades, 6+ diamonds and one club, making it unlikely that he holds four hearts.
5. Honour card distribution is more difficult to assess, but when you play a small diamond from dummy the ten is played on your right, which could be from QJ10 or KJ10
(attempting to find the location of the queen). Spade honours are probably split, as LHO may have led KQ.
Conclusion from the above:
• Likely, only your LHO can hold four trumps.
• The location of K is unknown.
• If trumps break 3-2, the play in trumps is unlikely to matter.
This reduces the choices to playing queen from hand, making when RHO has the stiff 10 or 8, or playing small to the ace and making when RHO has the stiff K.
OK, we have completed our thinking, noting we have about 8.5 minutes per board. Your play!
Ian Thomson
For the record, the winning play was Q, with RHO holding the singleton 8. – Ed.
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