Thursday, July 7, 2011

Jennbridge: Use It or Lose It

Recently I picked up, in first seat with both vulnerable:

♠ x
KTx
KQJxx
♣ AT98

I opened 1 Diamond.  LHO passed, Jenn, my partner, bid 1 Spade, and RHO intervened with 2 Hearts.  The hand isn't strong enough to rebid 3 Clubs or 2NT, so I passed.  Jenn now reopened with a double and I bid 3 clubs.  She then cue bid 3 Hearts, and I bid the obvious 3NT.  LHO led a high spot card in hearts, and I looked at:

♠ A Q x x
x
A 10 x
♣ Q J x x x
N
WE
S
♠ x
K 10 x
K Q J x x
♣ A 10 9 8
WestNorthEastSouth
1
Pass1 ♠2 Pass
PassDblPass3 ♣
Pass3 Pass3 NT
3 NT by South

Looking at the two hands, I was somewhat sorry that we didn't get to 6 Clubs, which requires the same club finesse to make as does 3NT. (You only have 8 winners in no-trump without more than 1 club trick).  However, the combined hands aren't that strong in high cards, so I just tried to do my best in 3NT.  I played dummy's heart, and RHO played the jack, which I won with the king.  I am now making either at least 12 tricks, if the club king is onside, or going down.  So I went to the board in diamonds and took the club finesse (I played the queen, so if it won, I could repeat it easily).  RHO had Kxx of clubs, so I ran the clubs, then the diamonds.  As I played all these winners, RHO was getting more and more uncomfortable.  When I took my last diamond at trick 11, this was the position:



♠ A Q x


♣ —
♠ x x x


♣ —
N
WE
S
♠ K x
A

♣ —
♠ x
10
x
♣ —

I played a low spade on the last diamond, and RHO essentially conceded, pitching a spade and making it obvious that she had the king and was squeezed.  (If she pitches the ace of hearts instead, my 10 is good.) So I made seven for a great matchpoint score. 

So the moral of this story is, sometimes you have to use it (an ace) or you lose it, even in no-trump. 

Good luck!

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