IMPROVE YOUR PLAY #13 with Larry Matheny
We continue to discover how the experts always seem to guess right against you.  To do this, we look at the basic techniques of counting, remembering the bidding, and taking proper inferences from the cards as they are played.  Sit in the South seat and see how you would have done with this hand.


East-West vulnerable at IMPs.

Hand #13
Dlr   W
Vul E-W
S AQJ3
H KJ
D AQ32
C 654
S K2
H Q754
D 10874
C KQJ
    
S 54
H A982
D 965
C A932

S 109876
H 1063
D KJ
C 1087
West North
 East
 South
Pass  1NT  Pass
 2S
 Pass 3S  All Pass
 
       
   






BIDDING:  North opened 1NT and you sign-off with 2S.  (This hand is from my archives; today most people use transfer bids.)  Holding a maximum along with great trump support, North raises to 3S.  You pass and hope you aren't too high..

PLAY:   West leads the king of clubs and continues with the queen and jack.  East plays high-low showing the ace.  West then shifts to a low heart.  How do you continue?

Just REMEMBER THE BIDDING and make some ASSUMPTIONS from the cards already played.  For you to make this contract, West must hold the spade king.  He has already shown up with the KQJ of clubs, so holding the spade king he would not have passed with the heart ace.  Therefore the jack is the proper play.  If East holds the spade king or heart queen, the contract cannot be made. 

Copyright ©2007 Larry Matheny.