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Sydney Morning Herald

Wednesday May 7, 2008

Ron Klinger

This is a defensive problem I set occasionally in a class:

South dealer; Nil vulnerable

NORTH

West North East South

--- --- --- 1S

Pass 2NT (1) Pass 4S (2)

Pass Pass Pass

(1) Game-force, 4+ spades

(2) Minimum opening, no short suit West leads the C10: ace ? six ? four.

You play low encouraging. The S2 is played from dummy: nine ? queen ? king.

How would you continue as West?

Partner?s C6, the highest spot card

looks discouraging, but should you switch

to a heart or a diamond? The DQ is

tempting as partner needs only the DA

there, but you can make a sure thing of it.

If they play 5-card majors, partner will be

out of spades. You should cash the SA at

trick 3 and see partner?s discarding signal.

If the 1S opening is a 4-card suit, you are

no worse off.

This is the complete deal:

NORTH

If West fails to find the heart switch,

declarer wins a club or a diamond return

in hand, unblocks the clubs, crosses to the

DK and discards a heart loser on the CQ.

When West plays the SA at trick 3, East

can ask for a heart switch via the H10

(high encouraging), H5 (low

encouraging), H5 (odds and evens) or D9

(McKenney discards). It is simply a matter

of your agreements with partner.

Paul Lavings faced a similar situation

on this deal from Stage 2 of the Australian

Seniors Team Selection:

Round 4 : Board 9

South dealer; E/W vulnerable

NORTH

West North East South

--- --- --- 1S

Pass 1NT (1) Pass 2C

Pass 5C All pass

(1) Forcing no-trump

Lead: H3

Lavings won trick 1 with the HA. He

needed to know whether to return a heart

or shift to a diamond. Expecting South to

have three clubs for the 2C rebid, Lavings

cashed the CA and awaited partner?s

signal. To his surprise partner followed

suit. Virtue was rewarded since it did not

matter which red suit he played next.

In fact he chose the H8 and the

contract was two down for +100 and 3

Imps against the datum of E-W +10. Four

pairs played in 3C, one making and at the

remaining table East was in 5D for ?100.

The 3C contracts were reached via 1S :

1NT, 2D : 3C twice and 1S : 2C, 2S : 3C

twice.

Never be smarter than you think you

are.

Tomorrow?s problem:

Pairs: North dealer : Both vulnerable

West North East South

--- 1H Pass 1S

Pass 2H Pass 6NT

Pass Pass Pass

What should West lead from:

© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald

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