Through the Pack at
Glenfield
The Ace of Diamonds
Last Updated on 20th
September 2006
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Announcing my presence in the bidding allowed South to
take liberties on this deal from the Buildrite Cup on 3rd
September 2003. |
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Board
15 Dealer
S Love
All |
North ª 8 © A94 ¨ 982 § AQJ874 |
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This
hand illustrates a downside of overcalls.
North has a difficult bid after South opens one club. If playing Splinters,
then three spades is an option; if playing inverted minors then two clubs can
be bid. At one table Peter Neville
invented a diamond suit and bid one diamond. East was silent and Tim Glover bid one no trump. Peter raised to three no trumps. West with very little information to go on
led the jack of
hearts. This was the least
helpful lead possible for declarer.
Tim played a club to the jack and finessed
the jack of spades. He then took a couple more club tricks
before, it being pairs, decided to risk a diamond to the king. His luck was in when it held. Even this lame effort was worth an above
average score. However, if Tim was
willing to risk losing several diamond tricks he should have timed the hand
better to give himself a chance of making thirteen tricks. If he had led the diamond at trick three
and, if my owner had withheld me, then he could have cashed a heart and then
played six clubs. On the sixth club
he would throw the three
of diamonds. My owner would have
come down to three spades and me.
Then the ace
of hearts would squeeze my owner.
If they threw me dummy’s nine of diamonds
would take the next trick; so they would probably throw the six of spades. Tim could then have finessed the jack of spades,
dropped my owner’s king
under the ace
and taken a thirteenth trick with the queen of spades. However,
if North is able to convey the club fit and point count, and East overcalls,
South can judge that the cards are exceptionally well placed and might just
as well bid four
no trumps, Roman Key Card Blackwood.
When North responds five spades showing two aces and the queen of trumps it
is easy to count three spade tricks, three heart tricks, five clubs and a
diamond and bid six no trumps. When
dummy went down the singleton spade would have been a disappointment but any
dismay would have been short-lived as the sixth club was adequate
compensation. Congratulations to
Peter Tyers and Margaret Glover who took all the match points by bidding and
making six no trumps. Several pairs,
perhaps hindered by East’s silence, reached the slightly safer spot of six
clubs. They were Geoff Mead &
Dennis Bradley, Ken Skinner & Baerbel Sandhu and Kath & Terry
Stevenson. |
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West ª 9754 © JT8652 ¨ 65 § 9 |
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East ª KT632 © 73 ¨ AQJT7 § 5 |
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South ª AQJ © KQ ¨ K43 § KT632 |
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I was in action in the Buildrite Cup again on 13th September 2006. |
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Board
2 Dealer
E NS
Vul |
North ª 65 © QJ94 ¨ Q9875 § J9 |
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My
position allowed the winners, Nick & Teresa Daniels to make a doubled
game. West played in five clubs doubled;
presumably after South had bid some spades.
A club or heart lead is best, but declarer can win in hand, draw
trumps and lead towards both kings in hand to make five clubs, the ace and king of hearts, the
king of spades,
the king of diamonds
and two ruffs. This hand certainly helped Nick &
Teresa, but it wasn’t quite the top score for East/West. That went to second placed pair, Ray Le
Vesconte & Brenda Coltman, whose opponents pushed on to five spades. Ray & Brenda doubled
and took the contract three down for 800.
Given that Ray & Brenda’s score would have been a top whether I had
been in the North or South hand but Nick & Teresa’s score would have been
a bottom if I had been in the North rather than the South hand you might
argue that I was the decisive factor in determining the destiny of the Buildrite
Cup. In
fact, that’s not quite so; Nick & Teresa won by 17.4; having lost 2 to Ray
& Brenda on this deal. Had I been
with North, they would have lost 14 and their winning margin would have been
reduced to 5.4. In any case, unless
South has made a number of psychic
decisions to pass; the odds
are heavily in favour of South having both aces. Best
North/South scores went to fifth place Ian Thompson & Bill Youngs and
sixth place Irene Robinson & Rene Berrington who were both allowed to
play in three spades, making nine tricks. |
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West ª K7 © K6 ¨ K432 § AQ654 |
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East ª 93 © A853 ¨ T6 § KT873 |
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South ª AQJT842 © T72 ¨ AJ § 2 |
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None of the declarers used me to full effect on this deal
from the Glenfield Club Pairs on 14th May 2003. |
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North ª 63 © KQ95 ¨ AT865 § 97 |
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The
contract was almost universal; seven out of eight South’s declared four
hearts. The eighth declared two
hearts. Of these, three declarers
received a club lead and continuation and made eleven tricks. The
other declarer’s made twelve tricks.
The line found by Tim Glover is probably typical. He won a spade lead, drew trumps, cashed three
more spades and threw dummy’s club losers.
Then he cashed me, ruffed a diamond, ruffed a club, ruffed a diamond
and ruffed another club. He was able
to ruff a third diamond with his last trump but that put him in hand and he
had to throw the ten of diamonds, which was by now a winner, on his losing jack of clubs. The
correct line is to recognise the opportunity of establishing the diamond suit
for an additional trick. To do this
the diamonds have to divide 4-3 and three diamond ruffs have to be
taken. Three entries are needed to
dummy for the diamond ruffs and a fourth is needed to gain entry to enjoy the
fifth winning diamond. After trumps
are drawn there are just three entries to dummy so the correct line of play
is for South to draw just one round of trumps. Then I am played and a diamond ruff. Declarer then crosses to dummy’s queen of hearts, noting with pleasure that both opponent’s
follow. The second diamond ruff
follows. Now declarer runs the
spades, pitching clubs from dummy. A
club ruff provides entry for a fourth diamond ruff. The second club ruff provides entry to enjoy the fifth diamond
and make all thirteen tricks. It
is all in the timing. |
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West ª 97542 © T2 ¨ Q43 § AQ4 |
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East ª T8 © J4 ¨ KJ97 § K8532 |
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South ª AKQJ © A8763 ¨ 2 § JT6 |
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The next card is the King of Diamonds.
The
previous card was the Two of
Hearts.
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1. Home Page |
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2. Newsletters and Correspondence |
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3. Competitions |
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4.1 Club Results |
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5.1 Bidding |
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5.1.1 Hand Evaluation |
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5.1.2 Opening Bids |
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5.1.3 Responding to an Opening Bid |
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5.1.3.1 Responding to 1NT |
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5.1.3.2 Responding to 2NT |
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5.1.4 Conventions |
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5.1.4.1 Conventional Opening Bids |
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5.1.4.2 Competitive Conventions |
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5.1.4.3 Slam Conventions |
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5.1.5 Doubles |
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5.1.6 The Protective Position |
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5.2 Declarer Play |
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5.2.1 General Technique |
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5.2.2 Trump Management |
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5.3 Defence |
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5.3.1 Defensive Tactics |
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5.3.2 Opening
Leads |
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5.3.3 Plays in Third Hand |
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5.3.4 Entry Management |
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5.4 Probability |
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