What & Why (16)

The answers to the declarer play problems in W&W15 told me that there is a big difference between Open players and Intermediates and Juniors, and also between TEAMS and MATCH POINT thinking. Let’s take another look at the problems presented and look at these differences in a way that the advancing players can understand and use to improve their play to the standard that all our open players showed by their answers.

1. TEAMS. Dealer S All Vul

Q4 AQ2 QJ652 QT9

AJ72 76 KT9 KJ65

South	West	North	East
2	Pass	Pass	X
Pass	3NT	Pass	Pass

North leads the KH. Plan your play.

I made this problem easy on purpose; at least it was easy for the Open players. The bidding has told us that South has a six card heart suit. A simple count tells us that North has a doubleton heart. North has led the king, much to declarer’s pleasure. Let not that pleasure turn to dismay by acting too hastily.

Newer players will invariably grab their unexpected tricks when offered the opportunity. The more experienced players have learnt to think the play through and not to act too quickly. They will count their potential tricks, analyse the dangers, and combine all the information to achieve the best outcome. In this problem, the obvious danger is South’s heart suit, if that can be set up in time. If South has both minor suit aces, declarer can not succeed, that should be evident. But it is most likely that South has only one of those aces. If that ace is removed as an entry before the heart suit is set up for defenders, then the other ace with North will not present any danger. But which entry to attack first? Declarer could guess, but there is no need for that. The answer is to DUCK the first trick even though it may be instinctively tempting to win the ace when you have been presented with a trick you may not have made later. Then, win the second heart and it does not matter which defender has which ace as long as they are ‘split’. There will be no entry for South’s established hearts.

In teams, what matters is making certain of your contract if at all possible. Overtricks do not matter if you risk not making your games, that is what all good open players are aware of and sometimes give up any possibility of overtricks as long as they can ensure their contract makes. In a match point session, overtricks count for much more and are worth taking some risks for, and you have to weigh up the risks against the possible gains and losses. In this example, there is NO risk in ducking the first heart, because there will still be the same tricks available without further risk.

2.TEAMS: Dealer S NS Vul

KQT943 K72 K762

J87 AQ3 83 KJT32

South	West	North	East
2	2	Pass	4
Pass	Pass	Pass

North leads the JACK OF DIAMONDS, you’re delighted so better not stuff this up. Low from dummy and South wins the ace and continues with the queen. How do you continue?

Once more, I have made this easy. But even so, there will be a surprising number of players who will automatically play the king when South wins the ace and then leads the queen. That’s what you do when a queen is played and you have the king, right? WRONG! Did I not say that South had opened a WEAK TWO? Just a simple count of the cards tells you that if you play the king, North will ruff it.

That in itself may not be fatal if you can still ruff two losing diamonds but the defenders in a teams match will not be so inept as to allow you to do that. North will ruff your king and continue with ace and another spade if he started with three spades, as is most likely. You have just gone down in a stone cold game! All you had to do is not put your king of diamonds on the chopping block. It would take the trick later, would it not? Or, if trumps are not led when South wins the diamond queen, you will be able to ruff two diamonds in dummy and your game will be assured.

In a match point session, even when you fail to play this one properly the defence may well let you get away with it, and the bidding may not be as transparent, or many others will also go down, and after all it is only one board and not a big deal, but that should not excuse poor play when there is a clear risk. Sloppy play will mount up in the long run and turn your 60% session into a 55%. But you can see the huge difference that it could make in a teams match, can’t you?