Yesterday’s column described the play of this deal at the first table in a team match in England. There, five clubs was allowed to make, East immediately trying to take two spade tricks. At trick one, the defender with the West hand should have played his jack under partner’s ace-lead, which would have called for a heart shift.
In the auction at the second table, West should have responded one spade, not passed. Note that one heart would go down three or four, but East-West can take 11 tricks in spades or diamonds.
North should have passed out one heart. His actual three clubs was an overbid. In the balancing (pass-out) position, this intermediate jump overcall should show 14-16 high-card points and a respectable six-card suit.
After South bid three no-trump, West should probably have cue-bid four clubs to show his two-suiter. Perhaps, though, he was afraid of a misunderstanding, this auction not occurring every day.
Although I took North to task for failing to pass out one heart, he scored even more points by bidding. West led the diamond queen. Declarer won on the board with the king and called for the club queen, East grabbing his ace and cashing his two top spades. But East must have thought that declarer’s queen was a falsecard. He shifted back to diamonds and this game made too!
Again West missed the key play of the spade jack. If West had dropped that card under South’s queen, East would have known declarer’s queen was not a falsecard and would have continued spades to defeat the contract by three tricks.
In the auction at the second table, West should have responded one spade, not passed. Note that one heart would go down three or four, but East-West can take 11 tricks in spades or diamonds.
North should have passed out one heart. His actual three clubs was an overbid. In the balancing (pass-out) position, this intermediate jump overcall should show 14-16 high-card points and a respectable six-card suit.
After South bid three no-trump, West should probably have cue-bid four clubs to show his two-suiter. Perhaps, though, he was afraid of a misunderstanding, this auction not occurring every day.
Although I took North to task for failing to pass out one heart, he scored even more points by bidding. West led the diamond queen. Declarer won on the board with the king and called for the club queen, East grabbing his ace and cashing his two top spades. But East must have thought that declarer’s queen was a falsecard. He shifted back to diamonds and this game made too!
Again West missed the key play of the spade jack. If West had dropped that card under South’s queen, East would have known declarer’s queen was not a falsecard and would have continued spades to defeat the contract by three tricks.