Playing at the speed of light

[Winstonm]

[hv=d=w&v=b&n=skj862hq9dj76ck87&w=sa5h753da10542c1052]266|200|Scoring: IMP

P-P-P-1♥

P-1♠-P-3♥

P-4♥-P-P

P.[/hv]

 

You guess to lead a low club against 4H. Partner plays the J and declarer wins the Queen. Before you can blink a low spade is on the table and it's your turn to play.

What do you do?

 

My mind couldn't keep up with the speed of declarer's mind, so I instinctively ducked and declarer went up with the King. Here is the full hand....

 

[hv=n=skj862hq9dj76ck87&w=sa5h753da10542c1052&e=sq10743h104d93caj94&s=s9hakj862dkq8cq63]399|300|[/hv]

 

Obviously, grabbing the Ace and continuing clubs is the winning defense - I blew it - were there clues I missed? How do you slow down a lightening fast declarer enough to have time to think instead of react?

[Echognome]

To answer your last question, do not quit trick 1. If declarer and your partner play really fast, just don't turn over your card. Take the requisite time to think about what you are going to do next.

[mikeh]

Keep your opening card on the table, exposed, until you have had a chance to think. However, that is not foolproof, so the better way is to make sure that your partner (and you, when the positions are reversed) takes his time before playing to trick 1: this should be a universal rule, and it is not a strain: I am not suggesting a huge tank, just a deliberate and consistent tempo.

 

BTW, for what it is worth, against the majority of declarers, the immediate play of a ♠ suggests a stiff, and I would rise with the Ace and continue the ♦A and, depending on signal, the ♣10.

 

On most, but by no means all, hands, a declarer holding xx in ♠ will attempt to find out more concerning the opps' hands before committing himself to a ♠ guess. I would go so far as to say that against 90% or more of good declarers the immediate ♠ is a singleton if only because most declarers would at least take a few seconds to judge whether a trick 2 ♠ play was better than trying to find out where the cards lie.

 

Of course, a really fast thinker/player (like a Sontag) will always have an edge here B)

[Winstonm]

Of course, a really fast thinker/player (like a Sontag) will always have an edge here

 

My worst nightmare - Sontag, Jacobus, Ozzie - and me as the 4th. B)

[Guest Jlall]

A spade at trick 2 may suggest a stiff but that by no means means it's right to pop ace.

 

While I agree with mikeh that it does suggest a stiff, I usually play a spade to the jack at trick 2 with a doubleton unless I think I can get relevant information. I think this is the best chance of getting them to pop ace.

 

I think your duck is fine. Declarer will usually misguess anyways, even if he does have a stiff. Indeed declarer did well here to guess the spade. Sometimes you just don't have enough time to think it through and in general it's right to duck even if declarer is stiff.

 

I agree with mikeh that east should be thinking for about 10 seconds regardless of his hand, but sometimes that just isnt enough time since you don't know what declarer is going to do you have to think about a lot of possible plays. Maybe this is why declarer is a fast player B)

[han]

I was thinking exactly what Justin just wrote.

 

 

One question.. is it considered ethical for declarer to take the club and immediately play a spade?

[Guest Jlall]

I was thinking exactly what Justin just wrote.

 

 

One question.. is it considered ethical for declarer to take the club and immediately play a spade?

Yes, absolutely.

 

Theoretically declarer is always supposed to think at trick 1 for a while to avoid RHO playing quickly (ie when RHO has a doubleton or a stiff playing the stiff quickly, thinking a bit with a doubleton). If declarer did think for 10-15 seconds then play and RHO played a slow doubleton, he is protected (theoretically). If declarer did not think, for all practical purposes he couldn't get RHO for playing a quick stiff, or a quick signal. Basically declarer should think to protect himself and his rights.

 

Similarly, RHO should think always for the reason given above and also to protect partner from declarer making a quick play and partner needing time to think. However, if he doesn't do this (and they usually don't) declarer is free to play as quickly as he wants. He's not giving UI, and pressuring LHO into having to think quickly is a perfectly legitimate thing to do.