IMPROVE YOUR PLAY
with Larry Matheny

It is often wrong to ruff early when you are long in declarer's trump suit.  In this hand, a defender couldn't wait use his trumps and that was the end of the defense.

Scoring: Matchpoints (Pairs)
Hand #45
Dlr   E
Vul N/S
S AJ10
H 96
D AQ6
C AKQJ4
S 3
H AKQ1043
D K75
C 1062
    
S K986
H 8
D J10932
C 875

S Q7542
H J752
D 84
C 93
West North
 East
 South


Pass
 Pass
   1H     DBL    Pass
    1S
   2H     3H    Pass
    4S
   Pass
    Pass
    Pass
                                                                        
BIDDING:  Holding a very good hand, North made a takeout double of West's opening bid.  With little to brag about, South made a minimum response in his spade suit.  After West rebid his six-card suit, North cue bid hearts to show his extra strength.  This suggested a holding of at most three spades for with more North would raise the suit.  South now decided his hand was worth a jump to game and promptly did so. 

PLAY:  West led the top two hearts and saw his partner discard a club on the second round.  West followed with a third round ruffed in dummy with the ten.  East couldn't wait to over ruff with the king and that was the end of the defense.   Declarer won the trump continuation with the ace, unblocked the jack of spades, and played three top clubs.  East ruffed the third one with his last trump but declarer over ruffed and was able to discard his losing diamond and losing heart on dummy's good clubs.

If East discards another club instead of over trumping dummy at trick three, he will later score a second trump and defeat the contract.  

Copyright ©2009 Larry Matheny