Jennbridge: Protect Your Queens

Larry H. and I kept executing endplays in our STAC matchpoint game on 8/26--for down one!

 ♠  K7
 ♥  742
 ♦  AQ763
 ♣ 1082

Not much of a hand, but LHO opens 1S, partner doubles and RHO passes.  I start with a jump to 3 diamonds, waiting to hear what partner will do.  He bids 3 spades and I bid 3NT.  The queen of spades is led and I see the following:  (hands rotated from the hand record)

Board 14	♠ A 9 2 ♥ A Q 9 3 ♦ 9 4 ♣ A Q 6 4
	N W E S
	♠ K 7 ♥ 7 4 2 ♦ A Q 7 6 3 ♣ 10 8 2

3 NT by South

Finessing opportunities all over the place, but not an obvious source of tricks.  If I duck a spade, I won't have an entry to my hand to get to the diamonds even if I were to manage to set them up.  I need to look elsewhere for tricks.

I win the spade king and lead a club.  LHO plays the king and I win the ace.  I now try a diamond finesse which loses.  I duck the spade return and then win the ace, pitching a diamond while RHO plays an encouraging heart.

I inadvertently lead a heart from my hand and RHO states:  "I'll accept that."  Clearly she likes hearts, and as I don't have anything better to do, I stay the course and insert the 9.  She wins the 10 and returns a club which I win in hand with the 8, LHO showing out. 

I am getting a count on the hand and it is not pretty.  These cards remain:

 ♠ 
 ♥ AQ3
 ♦  9
 ♣ Q6

 ♠ 
 ♥  74
 ♦  A76
 ♣ 10

I have scored 4 tricks, and the two red aces plus the club queen bring the total to 7.  I'll try to scramble an 8th trick.

I lead another heart and LHO shows out.  I now know that RHO started with 5 hearts and 5 clubs. I win the heart ace and return to my hand with the diamond ace, forcing a discard (a club) from RHO. Next comes a club to the queen and I exit with a club. RHO wins, and with only hearts remaining, cashes the king and is forced to give me my 8th trick with the heart queen.

Nice endplay, below-average result.  We have 25 points between us, but all the suits break miserably and some East-West pairs are getting in trouble bidding too many spades.

Here are all the hands:

Board 14 South Deals None Vul	♠ A 9 2 ♥ A Q 9 3 ♦ 9 4 ♣ A Q 6 4
♠ Q J 10 6 5 4 ♥ 8 ♦ K J 10 5 2 ♣ K	N W E S	♠ 8 3 ♥ K J 10 6 5 ♦ 8 ♣ J 9 7 5 3
	♠ K 7 ♥ 7 4 2 ♦ A Q 7 6 3 ♣ 10 8 2

3 NT by South

It was important to not sacrifice the queen of hearts but to try to arrange an endplay so that it would be a winner. 

**News flash:  The second edition of my Losing Trick Count booklet has been printed.  It has some new content as well as an expanded explanation of using LTC with Bergen and constructive raises.  I have a handout prepared on this subject and will give it to anyone who is interested.

See you at the table!