X-Clubs Play_07

Let’s take another look at our freak deal in issue No.6 and see what we can learn from it.

Board 13 from Tuesday, 19/10/21
Dealer N All Vul

	874 KQJ62 Q7643
T2 7 QJT AKJT852		AKQJ965 AT K53 9
	3 98543 A987642

The value of weak two suited opening bids is enough to sway me from the standard weak two single-suiter bids. Some readers may even prefer some form of ‘multi’ but I find that keeping it simple saves a lot of mental torture and disasters at the table. That is why I try to keep the Evil stuff as simple and as consistently logical as possible. You may disagree.

This is a freaky but fun deal. The fun comes from getting doubled in 5H and making, as well as in listening to an ignorant East complaining that West did not lead his suit, when in fact the only way to defeat 5H was to lead a club, just as West did. Would a really expert East have found the solution? I set this as a double dummy problem, but even after seeing all the hands the answer isn’t obvious: West leads the CA which declarer ruffs in hand (a club lead is also needed from East if North is declarer) and immediately ruffs a low diamond in dummy. If declarer then leads a club, East must NOT be tempted to ‘cheaply’ win the heart ten, but wait until a trump is led, win the ace and then lead the FIVE OF SPADES. When West finds he has won the trick with the ten, another club should be automatic now, allowing East to score the ten of trumps. Would YOU have been good enough to win the brilliancy prize if you were East? And isn’t defence fun? Check out my line here.

Defence would also have been fun for NS if they had chosen to defend against 5S which may or may not have been doubled. Ace of diamonds and a diamond ruff, but which suit for North to return after the ruff? That is where SUIT PREFERENCE signals are an absolute must. South would lead the TWO of diamonds which is a clear suit preference signal: lowest card for lowest suit.