The Struggle for 3NT

Playing in a team game last night, Jeff Smith and Paul Thurston reached an aggressive 3NT not reached at the other table.  This was one of those deals that could have gone either way.  Let us start by looking at it from the point of view of the Italian defender.

Italian Star

♠ Q2

♥ Q982

◊ KJ1076

♣ KQ

 

The auction had gone:

Jeff	Italian Star	Paul	Jimmy Cayne
			pass
1♣*	1◊	1♠	pass
2NT*	pass	3◊	pass
3♥	pass	3NT	all pass

 

I will do my best to interpret the bidding but perhaps someone who knows can correct any of my mistakes.  1♣ followed by 2NT showed a balanced hand outside of their opening 1NT range  something like 17-19.  3◊ was checkback for majors.  What do you lead?  Our Italian star found a heart lead, leading the ♥2, a good choice.  This was the dummy.

Paul Thurston

♠ J7543

♥ 107

◊ 3

♣ AJ654

 

Jeff played the ♥10 which was covered by the ♥J and ♥A.  Jeff now played the ♣10 which you perforce cover with the ♣Q which is allowed to hold.   You return the ♥Q (I am not sure why the Italian star picked the ♥Q, did he want to show a spade card since partner already knew about diamonds?).  This was allowed to hold partner playing the ♥4 and declarer the ♥6.  Now what?  Is there a message in the ♥4?  Do you continue hearts or switch.  If you switch what do you play?  Think about that and I am going to move around to Jeff’s side of the table.

Paul Thurston

♠ J7543

♥ 7

◊ 3

♣ AJ65

 

Jeff Smith

♠ A9

♥ K65 ??

◊ AQ95

♣ 82

 

This was the position when Italian Star played the ♥Q.  What is your plan?  The hand is hopeless unless the clubs come home so lets count that as four tricks to go along with two hearts, a diamond and a spade.  At the moment the defense has a club trick.  The hearts appear to be 4-3 so they can eventually take two heart tricks.  The question is where is your ninth trick to come from and can you get it without giving up too many tricks.  There is a miracle in the spade suit (KQ doubleton) but what other chances do you have?  An endplay seems most likely so you are going to want to keep a heart to throw in the Italian stud (I mean star, sorry).   Should you duck the heart now?  I think this is almost impossible to see at the table but there is a danger in ducking and winning the heart won’t cost.  What do I mean?  From the play of the ♥Q  Italian Star has all the heart spots.  There is no need to duck his partner can’t get in.  You are willing to give him the heart tricks anyway so might as well win the second heart.  What is the danger?  What are you going to do about a spade switch?  Not much.  Ducking it doesn’t work and winning it sets up a bunch of spade tricks for the defense.  We will come back to this later.  Anyway after you duck Italian star who is perhaps sipping cappucino doesn’t find the spade switch.  (I know it is very hard for him to find at the table, did you find it?)  He continues hearts and you win the third round as Cayne follows with the ♥2.  So now it is up to the card gods (to help with the club suit) and your talent to find the right ending. 

You lead a club and the card gods  make it easy with the ♣K appearing on your left.  You now run the club suit and watch.  You know that Italian Star has either 2-4-5-2 or 1-4-6-2 to help you along. 

We arrive at the last club Italian star having thrown all diamonds and this is the ending.

	Paul Thurston
	♠ J754
	♥ —
	◊ 3
	♣ 5

Italian Star		Cayne
♠ Q2		♠ K1086
♥ 8		♥ —
◊ KJ10		◊ 84
♣ —		♣ —

	Jeff Smith
	♠ A9
	♥ 5
	◊ AQ9
	♣ —

 

When you lead the last club Cayne throws a diamond and the Italian Star throws the ♠Q.  This makes things really easy since now you don’t even care how many spades he has.  You cash the ♠A which can’t hurt and exit a heart.  (You can play the ◊A first if you like and when Cayne follows you have an exact count on the entire hand). 

If the Italian star had thrown one more diamond instead of a spade, you can play diamond, diamond, setting up your third diamond retaining the ♠A as a stopper.  I can’t think of any discards that the Cayne team can use that makes this hard for you.  ( I did look at the effect of keeping both spades but when Jeff crosses to his hand with a diamond he will have seen the ◊J and ◊10 from your hand making his ◊( a power winner).

Well done Jeff.  Bid aggressively and played well.