Friday 8 November 2013

JOHNNY EXPLAINS.............

During a post match discussion one team player desperately tried to defend an accusation that " she butchered the defence ".
The contract was 4H by the North, and by sneaking in a frisky 2S overcall during the auction on AKxxxx....void...xxxx...xxx , her partner made an opening lead of spade 10. 
Dummy came down with xx.....AKQxx....Q9xx....xx.
Declarers bidding suggested a semi-balanced no trump hand with 12-14 HCPs , of which four points could be accounted for : QJ of spades and J of hearts. This left partner with a minimum 8 points in the minors.
Having taken the first trick with the spade King, the lady in question correctly switched to a minor suit..... but played 7 of diamonds !  Game over....10 tricks made no problem. Her partner took the trick with the Ace , but the chance to make his club king had now disappeared under the setting sun. The best the defence could do now was to play back a spade , planning to see a third spade ruffed and then over-ruffed. This would certainly stop declarer's queen of spades giving him the opportunity to lob away a losing club in dummy. Instead, after playing off  2 rounds of trumps , declarer ditched his losing queen of clubs on dummy's fourth diamond. Contract coming in with 5H , 3D, Club Ace and 1 ruff. 
In order to settle the argument for once and for all , Johnny stepped in to explain why a switch to club stood out by a country mile.
" The danger was all too plain to see. If declarer has both minor suit Aces, it was going to be an easy task to win the diamond switch with the Ace , and draw trumps before conceding a second spade. Then on the inevitable club switch, declarer would swiftly rise up with the Ace, to gleefully pitch a losing club from dummy on his establish spade winner. However, a club return guarantees a club trick to the defence, as well as a diamond and a spade, because there was no chance of three losing diamonds ever going away in dummy. Moreover ,  by giving partner the diamond Ace plus the club king and jack , then a switch to clubs at trick two was just as imperative. Also ,  if partner happens to have instead the diamond king / club Ace and Jack , then the switch to clubs cannot do any harm whatsoever ,  because once the second spade winner has been quickly cashed,  declarer  would still be left with a diamond to lose. So yes....the lady did screw up big time. "
Now can anyone argue with that logic ?

Declarer's hand : QJx....J9xxx.....KJ10.....AQ
East's hand : 10x...xxx.....Ax.....KJ10xxx

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