Really enjoyed this hand today: You hold:
752
52
9854
KJ86
Partner opens 1
and the bidding proceeds:
North East South West1
X No No
1
2
No No
2
No 2NT No
3
No 3NT All Pass
West leads the 10
and Partner goes down with
North AKQ3
KQ973
QJ7
4
South 752
52
9854
KJ86
East wins the Ace of Clubs and returns a small Club. Plan the play
Okay, so Partner is considerably weaker than you were expecting (maybe they should have doubled instead of bidding 2
), but you now have to try and make this "Meckwell" style 3NT contract on a combined 21 hcp, only 1 potential entry to hand and the likelyhood that no suit is going to split well for you.
Well I figured some serious stuff was going to have to go right for me here, so I have to assume the Clubs and Hearts are relatively favourable. I inserted the Club 8 which held the trick, West playing the 2. I now played a Heart to the Queen, which held, AK of Spades (East contributed the 10 and the Jack) and exited with the Q
, which East took with the King and led the J
, which is allowed to run round to your King. Now what?
Well I decided I might as well go for it and play East for 2245 shape and West for the doubleton 10
and I now led the Jack of Diamonds to pin West's theoretical doubleton 10. East won the Diamond Ace and the 10 duly appeared from West, who (knowing I had the Clubs completely covered) returned a third Diamond.
Now I'm down to
Q3
97
-
-
7
-
9
KJ
...and the 4th Diamond and King of Clubs duly squeezed West in the Majors, so I ended up with an overtrick on a hand where I should probably be -2. Sometimes, the Fates really do smile on you!! Yes, the defence can do a lot better.
West East 9864
J10
A1064
J8
102
AK63
1032
AQ975
(Worth noting that the 8
from my hand at trick 2 was fairly essential, if marginally risky, because it made it absolutely certain that East cannot successfully continue to attack the suit. If I'd played the Jack at trick 2, he can happily lead the Q
when in with the K
and force my King out and run the rest of the Clubs when in with the Ace of Diamonds)