Because you asked, Norm

Today Norm and I played on BBO against Suzie and Wayne. All of these players are players who I have mentored or am currently mentoring and all of them are good advanced players. Norm is from Israel, Suize a fellow Canadian and Wayne from Las Vegas.

Today Norm arrived in 4♥ in an uncontested auction after he opened 2NT in fourth chair.  When you see my hand you may think I was a bit pushy to reach for a heart game after the 2NT opening. Let us just say that it represents my confidence in Norm’s card play skills.

The opening lead was the ♣K and this is what Norm had to work with:

 

 

I do appreciate it that Norm always has these supermax hands when I overbid mine.

The lead of the ♣K is a bit strange and I wouldn’t be surprised if the it was a singleton or maybe a doubleton. Ducking it is certainly an option. If clubs are continued the suit is breaking and you have no more losers. If it is not than it is probably a singleton and you can work from there.

Norm decided to win the trick and play trump.  East showed out on the first round. How do you proceed?

You know that you have a spade loser and a diamond loser and at least one club loser. If the CK is indeed a singleton you are in danger of losing two clubs. One option might be to endplay somebody. The bad trump split has made this harder. If trump had split even 3-1 you might have been able to draw trump and force the defense to allow you to set up a diamond trick. East cannot lead clubs without giving up a winner. 

So basically you can eliminate diamonds and spades and duck a club into East who will be forced to lead clubs back. Obviously it doesn’t help East to discard a club at any point.

But alas the trump are four-nothing. So what now? Norm decided to draw all the trump putting East under some pressure. She can’t throw any clubs so you know three of her last eight cards are clubs. If she holds the ♦ KQ you are still in business. Here is the position at this point.

 

You could start by ducking a spade. Suppose the defense continues a spade back. You win and lay down the DA. If East is down to two diamonds than an honor will fall and you can concede a diamond setting up the DJ as the game going trick. If both follow low then East has the top two diamonds but no more spades. You lead out a diamond. East wins and plays a third diamond. You ruff and duck a club to East who is endplayed.

As long as you are playing East for the KQ of diamonds and you know she has the last three clubs you can always find a way to endplay East in clubs.

Is there a better way – one that does not rely on East to have the DKQ? Is there some way we can force East to give up a club trick?  Yes if you can read the ending.

Lets look at some positions where you decide that East has one diamond honor. East must hold at least two diamonds in the endgame (or your ace will drop her honor and you can set up a diamond winner as your game going trick). And of course East has to have three clubs.

For example: 

You play ace and another diamond. East must win (or the diamond honors crash) and returns a spade. You ruff and duck a club into East. And you can see that if East holds three diamonds in the endgame and no spades, it really doesn’t change anything.

But if the diamond honors are split I believe in most cases perfect defense will defeat the contract at this stage.

Norm has just got back from Barcelona. He saw some of the most beautiful and complex architecture in the world. Here is a complex hand for you. You asked me to tell you if you could have made 4♠ . I said I would show you. On the lie of the cards this rather beautiful complex hand can be made.

The actual deal

Thanks Suzie and Wayne for another fun session. If any reader wants to add to the analysis I would be happy to see your comments.