IMPROVE YOUR PLAY
with Larry Matheny

 

 

Hand evaluation is of course very important.  However, after you make an optimistic bid, you need to be able to bring home the contract.  Here is a declarer who did just that.

Scoring: Matchpoints (Pairs)

#10-41

Dlr

E

Vul

E/W

S

J862

H

J92

D

K94

C

A108

S

74

H

AK10764

D

872

C

32

  pad  

S

AK10

H

Q853

D

63

C

QJ64

 

S

Q953

H

 

D

AQJ105

C

K975

West

North

East

South

  

 

   Pass

    1D

    2H

   DBL

   Pass

    3S

   Pass       4S        Pass      Pass

   Pass

 

 

BIDDING:  After North’s negative double, South decided the heart void along with his twelve high card points made his hand worth a jump.  North continued on to game. 

 

PLAY:  West led a top heart ruffed by South.  The bidding placed the top spade honors in the East hand so at trick two, declarer led a diamond to dummy.  He continued with a spade won by East’s king.  East led another heart forcing South to ruff again.  Next, declarer led another diamond to dummy followed by a third heart ruff.  Declarer returned to dummy with a club and led a low spade.  East won the ten but could only collect one more spade trick.  Declarer had his ten tricks losing only three trump tricks.

 

Note that the trumps must divide 3-2 for the contract to succeed and declarer played accordingly.

 

 

Copyright ©2010 Larry Matheny