LEARNING CENTER

I played this deal in one of my rare tournament appearances. It took place in the Mitchell Board-A-Match Teams at the 2016 Orlando NABC. I held:

 J72 
 Q4  
 AKQ1032  
 86.

I opened 1 and my partner, Marty Bergen, responded 2 (GF). RHO overcalled 2 and I bid 3. LHO bid 4 and Marty bid 5! This had to be a try for 7 (since it committed us to 6) and I suspected it was asking for keycards outside of spades (Exclusion RKC). I showed 2 and he bid 7. A low heart was led and I saw:

--  A1097  J765  AKJ92

J72  Q4  AKQ1032  86

Not wanting to go down at trick one, I rose with the A. I hoped to set up clubs (3-3 or the queen falls doubleton). That would give me two extra club winners. On them, I'd throw a heart and a spade. The other two spades could be trumped in dummy. I'd need 2-1 trumps and a reasonable club layout. After winning the A, I drew trumps (2-1--good news there) and tried the AK (no queen) and trumped a club. They were 4-2 (bad news). This was the Real Deal:

Vul:N-S Dir: South	--  A1097  J765  AKJ92
Q963  K86  94  Q1074		AK10854  J532  8  53
	J72  Q4  AKQ1032  86

As you can see, I was down one. Once clubs didn't break I couldn't both set up the fifth club for a heart discard and trump all my spades in dummy. To make the contract, I had to either play low at trick one (what a diabolical opening lead!) or later take a club finesse. 

At another table, an expert friend of mine received a trump lead. This kept the A as an entry to the clubs, but look what happened. He won the trump lead in hand and ruffed a spade in dummy. Next came the AK and a club ruffed in hand. With the 4-2 club break, there was no way to ruff all the spades in dummy, set up the 5th club and get back and forth. For example, declarer can ruff a second spade, ruff a club (the 5th club is good for a heart discard), ruff the final spade, but there is still a trump outstanding and declarer is stuck in dummy.

However, declarer still should have made his contract. Upon discovering 4-2 clubs he has a chance. He should lead the Q. West must cover. Now, declarer ruffs a club and draws the last trump ending in dummy. He throws a low heart on the 5th club and then takes a ruffing finesse against the J. This sets up a discard for one spade and the last spade is ruffed in dummy. This is complicated (perhaps easier to see by laying out the cards), but it was the only way home after the early start.

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