IMPROVE YOUR PLAY
with Larry Matheny

 

Finding the best opening lead can be difficult.  Here is a hand where the defender regretted his choice.

 

Scoring: Matchpoints (Pairs)

#10-47

Dlr

E

Vul

E/W

S

K4

H

86

D

10542

C

AKQ53

S

3

H

A1054

D

QJ8

C

J10764

  pad  

S

8765

H

KJ92

D

963

C

92

 

S

AQJ1092

H

Q73

D

AK7

C

8

West

North

East

South

 

 

   Pass

   1S

   Pass

   2S

   Pass

   3S

    Pass      4S        Pass      Pass

    Pass

  

 

 

BIDDING:  North-South had an easy auction to game.

 

PLAY:  After this auction, West was going to lead a red suit and since it’s often wrong to lead an ace, he started with the queen of diamonds.  Declarer won this with the ace and played all six of his trumps and then started on the club suit.  He discarded two hearts and came to this three-card ending (East was immaterial):

 

                           D105  C 5

                 D J8                      

            CJ

                           H Q  D K7   

 

Declarer led dummy’s last club and discarded his heart.  West now had to lead away from his jack of diamonds and declarer had 12 tricks.  East asked his partner why he didn’t lead a heart but West just sighed and reached for the next hand.

 

 

Copyright ©2010 Larry Matheny