How Many Tricks Will This Dummy Win?
Tuesday, March 11, 2003 (my 14th Wedding Anniversary)
Playing lunchtime bridge with Carol on my left, her husband David as my partner,
and Richard on my right, this was the last hand of the day. Only we were vulnerable.
David Richard Me Carol
======== ======= ==== ======
Pass 1 Club 1 NT Double
All Pass
Carol decided it was unlikely they had a game and decided to take
whatever profit she could at hundreds of points per undertrick.
The (unfortunate, as it turns out) opening lead, was the 6 of hearts.
David
-----
4
T842
97632
843
Carol Richard
----- -----
K873 AT96
KJ96 53
QT8 K5
Q5 AJT92
Me
----
QJ52
AQ7
AJ4
K76
Studying the spots carefully, I saw that dummy's 8 would win trick 1,
which would enable me to legitimately pick up the diamonds if RHO held
QT or KT doubleton (unless of course, Carol finds the incredible
hold-up play from her K85 or Q85).
Sure enough, dummy's heart 8 won trick 1, but as you can see, RHO only
had K5, not KT (darn!), but I went ahead and finessed my jack, losing to
Carol's queen. Now she switches to clubs, playing her queen ducked all
around. (not best. Richard should overtake. His spots are good enough
in case clubs were 4-1, but oh, well. He didn't and they weren't.)
Carol continues clubs, ducked again by Richard (good play), and I take
my king. We now have this, with me having won two out of 4 tricks.
4
T42
9763
8
K873 AT96
KJ9 5
T8 K
- AJT
QJ52
AQ
A4
7
I decided to keep my red suit threats intact, and exited with my
spade queen. Carol reasonably let her partner win that trick,
keeping her king over my jack, but she then ran into problems when
Richard cashed his 3 club tricks. What does she discard? She has
to decide now, which suit to abandon.
She's in serious trouble of getting squeezed and then endplayed. Well?
Which three cards would you as West, start discarding in this situation?
-
T42
9763
8
K87 T96
KJ9 (West) 5
T8 ( to ) K
- (play) JT (The club Ace is now being played)
J52
AQ
A4
- (The club 7 is now being played)
With another heart through, you could set up all of your hearts,
so it doesn't seem right to discard those. Perhaps declarer has
QJT of spades,which explains his spade play, so let's say you
throw a spade.
Now what do you throw on the next club (and of course, the club
trick after that) after declarer pitches a low spade?
-
T42
9763
-
K8 T96
KJ9 (West) 5
T8 ( to ) K
- (play) T (The club Jack is now being played)
J5 (The spade 2 is now being played)
AQ
A4
-
Does that ten-eight of diamonds look like it's worth much? She didn't
think so, and giving this hand to Frank (and forcing him to lead a heart
at trick one so we could get to this position), he threw a diamond also.
Look how devastating that diamond discard is! On Richard's third club,
I threw my heart queen, coming down to these 5 cards, the defense having
won 6 out of the 8 tricks so far.
-
T
9763
-
K8 T96 ( All the clubs have been cashed. )
KJ 5 ( Now which suit do I lead? )
T K
- -
J5
A
A4
-
Richard would have set me two or three had he returned a spade at this
point, but who could fault him for returning his partner's first led suit?
I won the heart ace, and as I was playing the diamond ace, I said,
"... and dummy's good?". They thought I was kidding 'till they
saw Richard's king come tumbling down and my other little diamond.
I won the last 3 tricks in dummy. Making 1NT Doubled!!!
See also Dummy Entries Needed for a similar "How Many Tricks Will This Dummy Win?"
hand, but in that hand, dummy had 8 points opposite my 17, and won 6 out of 9 tricks.
I think this hand beats that one. Here, dummy had ZERO points opposite my 17, and
won 4 out of 7 tricks.