Hand of the Fortnight

Number 14

 

Theme:         Obscuring your high cards

 

You are sitting East playing 3NT. South leads S5. Your system uses “Over-lead ....”

 

Dummy (W) has                        You (E) have:

                        S:   J T 4                                  S:   A K 3

                        C:   8 7 3                                  C:   K J T 6 2                        (Other cards irrelevant here.)

 

How do you play the cards?

 

Main Points:

(1)        Cover S5 with ST or SJ. Seeing dummy, you can’t fool anyone with a choice here1

 

Result:  While often South would have led from SQ, instead North plays SQ.

What do you play?

 

(2)        If you thought “The SA and SK are of equal value here”, YOU ARE RIGHT.

BUT

(3)        “   “           “       “It doesn’t matter which I play”, THIS ISN’T TRUE!

 

By playing SA, South can still think that North has the SK.                  AND / OR

  North can think that South has led from SK.                      BUT

            “       “       SK,  South will know that there’s little chance of North having the SA.

(4)        Later if / when you try a Club finesse, you’ll play the CJ not CT.

 

Basic Guidelines:

(1)          When Declarer, play the higher of TOUCHING HONOURS

to keep the defence guessing.

 

(2)    In defence, you usually play the lower of 2 touching honours

          when Declarer has led.

 

(3)    In defence, you usually play the HIGHER of 2 touching honours

          when LEADING PARTNER’S BID SUIT.

 

            e.g.            Your opponents are in 4H after you bid a weak 2S during the auction.

Partner  leads SJ. Dummy goes down revealing

                                    S:   K  7 4 2                            (Other cards irrelevant here.)

                        Declarer calls for S2.

                        You have     S:   A T 9 6 5 3  .......... and 6 other HCP to compensate for a weak Spade suit!

 

                        What appears to be in Declarer’s hand?            The SQ – possibly singleton.

                        You plonk your SA on the teeny S2 only to see Declarer trump it!

Sadly now the SK can probably be used to discard a loser. SQ is correct lead here.

(4)         Here’s 1 time to PLAY HIGH FIRST in defence:

                        Declarer leads S3 to dummy’s    Spades:   A J T 6    calling for SJ.                   You have S:   K Q.

                        Why play SK? To hope declarer thinks SQ is in your partner’s hand, trying a 2nd finesse.

 

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