Source: IBPA Column Service
IMPs; Dealer South; All Vul
|
 10 5
 9 4
 A J 7 6
 K 9 8 7 6 |
|
| A J 7 3
A K J 3
10 9 2
10 2 |
|
2
Q 10 8 7 5 2
8 5 4
Q J 4 |
|
K Q 9 8 6 4
6
K Q 3
A 5 3 |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
|
|
|
1 |
| Pass |
1NT |
Pass |
2 |
| Pass |
3 |
Pass |
4 |
| Pass |
Pass |
Pass |
|
Opening Lead
A
While both players stretched in the bidding, the final contract proved to be a good one. West began with the
A and
K.
Declarer ruffed the second heart and played the
K, which held the trick. West took the low trump continuation with the
J and forced declarer with a heart, reducing declarer to two trumps, the same number as West had.
Now, no matter how declarer played West would make both of his remaining trumps and so defeat the contract. As ever, dummy was critical of the line chosen. “If trumps had been 3-2, then almost any plan would have succeeded,” he offered.
“So, you should have thought about overcoming a 4-1 break in trumps. You had to ruff the second round of hearts, but you should have continued with a low trump at trick three.
Suppose West had played his
J, you would still have had a low trump in dummy to take care of a heart continuation. It would have been no better for West to have played low, for then dummy’s ten would have won the trick.
The continuation of a trump to the
K would have left West in a position where he could have done no better than to have won and forced you with a heart. After discarding a club from dummy, you would have ruffed in hand and played the
Q.
This would have left West with just the master
J, which he could have taken whenever he pleased while you ran the diamonds and, if necessary, the top clubs. You would have made ten tricks by way of four trumps and six tricks in the minors.”
