Comedian Steven Wright said, "I broke a mirror in my house and I'm supposed to get seven years' bad luck, but my lawyer thinks he can get me five."
In this deal, you have seven trumps and need to make five spades. West leads the diamond ace and continues with the diamond king. How would you continue from there?
The bidding is contrived to reach the desired contract. Over West's two-diamond intervention, North should have made a takeout double. East's raise was based on the favorable vulnerability. And when West jumped to five diamonds, maybe North should have doubled, although this would have resulted in only a 500-point penalty — less than the value of a vulnerable five spades.
A 4-3 fit is known as a Moysian, after Sonny Moyse Jr. He noted that a 4-3 fit will usually play well if the trumps are strong and the three-card hand has a shortage, so that ruffs can be taken there. Here, though, it is the four-trump hand with a singleton. This often leads to insoluble problems — but not this time.
You have 11 tricks: four spades, two hearts and five clubs. However, before you can take those side-suit winners, you must draw the opponents' trumps. That is easy if they are splitting 3-3, but 4-2 is more likely.
The pivotal play is to discard your guaranteed heart loser at trick two. You must keep four trumps to draw all of East's. Whatever West does now, you are safe. If, for example, he leads a third diamond, you ruff low on the board, overruffing East if necessary.
In this deal, you have seven trumps and need to make five spades. West leads the diamond ace and continues with the diamond king. How would you continue from there?
The bidding is contrived to reach the desired contract. Over West's two-diamond intervention, North should have made a takeout double. East's raise was based on the favorable vulnerability. And when West jumped to five diamonds, maybe North should have doubled, although this would have resulted in only a 500-point penalty — less than the value of a vulnerable five spades.
A 4-3 fit is known as a Moysian, after Sonny Moyse Jr. He noted that a 4-3 fit will usually play well if the trumps are strong and the three-card hand has a shortage, so that ruffs can be taken there. Here, though, it is the four-trump hand with a singleton. This often leads to insoluble problems — but not this time.
You have 11 tricks: four spades, two hearts and five clubs. However, before you can take those side-suit winners, you must draw the opponents' trumps. That is easy if they are splitting 3-3, but 4-2 is more likely.
The pivotal play is to discard your guaranteed heart loser at trick two. You must keep four trumps to draw all of East's. Whatever West does now, you are safe. If, for example, he leads a third diamond, you ruff low on the board, overruffing East if necessary.