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Article 7K32 by Richard Pavlicek
This deal is from an online IMP game. After Souths 1 opening, North was obliged to bid 1 NT since he lacked the values for a two-over-one response. South had a borderline jump shift but chose to bid only 2
because of the anemic texture in his suits. North raised to game with his excellent playing potential.
4
South
E-W Vul![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Lead: ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
West Pass Pass | North 1 NT 4 ![]() | East Pass Pass All Pass | South 1 ![]() 2 ![]() |
West had no knowledge of dummys long diamonds and chose to lead the Q. Declarer won the king and led the
2 to dummys queen as East ducked, then the
4 back to the king, learning the bad news. The
K was led, covered and ruffed, then declarer tried to cash the
A. Oops. East ruffed with the
8 (South could not overruff) and cashed the
A leaving declarer in a hopeless predicament down two.
Declarer violated an important principle: If there is no clear-cut path to making your contract, you should work on your side suit before drawing trumps. After the Q won, declarer should next lead the
A; East ruffs and South overruffs; then a heart is led to the jack and ace. Easts best return is a club to the king and ace, but declarer does not ruff in dummy. No matter what West returns, the diamonds can be set up, losing one more trick. Lay out a deck of cards and try it its a good exercise in suit establishment.
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© 1998 Richard Pavlicek