spot my error

[inquiry]

Here is a hand I misdefended. The Double dummy analysis says my opponents can only win 8 tricks in spades, I allowed them to win 9. My defense cost me two imps. Can you spot my error? It took me too long to find my mistake double dummy... the right play seem obvious now.

 

http://www.homebaseclub.com/forums/uploads/monthly_02_2008/post-2-1204305612.jpg

 

An oh, BTW, this is part of the traveller for HomeBase tournanent 733... which was an 8 board event. Each player gets one of these created for them with them sitting a the bottom of the hand diagram (regardless of their real compass position). The underlined names in the results table for the board are hyperlinks to that board number (in this case board 3) on that persons traveller so you can see the bidding/play there. At the end of the page (not shown) is a final standings listing.

 

As an aside, we create these cool html travellers using BridgeBrowser. The same program we provide free to those playing in our events (lin, pbn, text, html are only four of the output methods for hands you want to print, there are others as well).

 

Here is a link to the full traveller that this hand comes from....

 

example homebase club tournament traveller...

[kenrexford]

It looks obvious, but maybe I'm missing something.

 

The opponents for some reason broke clubs without tocuhing trumps. If partner has a doubleton spade and can ruff the next heart, it seems right to play the diamond King. When in with the spade Ace, you can give partner a heart ruff for the entry to cash two diamonds, for one club, two diamonds, the spade Ace, and a heart ruff.

 

Declarer, therefore, must duck the diamond King. So, you then give partner a heart ruff and get your spade ruff, for one diamond, one club, one heart ruff, one diamond ruff, and one diamond ruff.

[inquiry]

well double dummy that will work... but if the leap to 4♠ has six ♠'s, they will lead a ♠ after winning ♦Ace, and they can actually win 2♥, 1♦, 1♣ 1♥ ruff, and 5♠ for ten tricks. While if you give your partner a ruff with his singleton trump, you win 1♣, 1♠, 1♥ruff, and a slow ♦ (assume partner's club ten shows four, and partner is not looking at eight diamonds over there.

 

The question is there a line that sets four if declarer is 6-3-2-2, yet can still hold declarer to 8 tricks if he is 5-3-3-2?

[awm]

To me it looks as though playing the space ace was the mistake. At this point you have already won the club king and scored partner's ruff, and from the bidding you can be pretty sure partner doesn't have another trump to get a second ruff.

 

Declarer has lost two tricks already and has two losing diamonds sitting around as well as the trump ace. He needs to get rid of a diamond loser, either by ruffing in dummy (after pitching a diamond on the heart ace) or by trying to set up clubs.

 

If you duck the spade ace, declarer cannot continue pulling trumps. You will win the second round and play a third trump, and there are not enough entries to establish clubs, leaving declarer to lose two diamonds. Playing a diamond now by declarer is silly -- he loses two diamonds to your partner right off. So his only option is to continue ace of clubs and a club ruff. His ruff must be high, else you score the spade ten (and cash the spade ace and exit a heart to declarer's ace, and let partner score a diamond later for two off). Now he cashes his heart ace ditching a diamond and plays a diamond to score his ruff. Partner wins and plays another club, and now declarer is toast. If he ruffs low you score spade ten; if he ruffs high again he is out of high trumps in hand and must either concede the second diamond (in order to lead a spade up to jack) or concede a trick to the spade ten.

[inquiry]

To me it looks as though playing the space ace was the mistake. At this point you have already won the club king and scored partner's ruff, and from the bidding you can be pretty sure partner doesn't have another trump to get a second ruff.

 

Declarer has lost two tricks already and has two losing diamonds sitting around as well as the trump ace. He needs to get rid of a diamond loser, either by ruffing in dummy (after pitching a diamond on the heart ace) or by trying to set up clubs.

 

If you duck the spade ace, declarer cannot continue pulling trumps. You will win the second round and play a third trump, and there are not enough entries to establish clubs, leaving declarer to lose two diamonds. Playing a diamond now by declarer is silly -- he loses two diamonds to your partner right off. So his only option is to continue ace of clubs and a club ruff. His ruff must be high, else you score the spade ten (and cash the spade ace and exit a heart to declarer's ace, and let partner score a diamond later for two off). Now he cashes his heart ace ditching a diamond and plays a diamond to score his ruff. Partner wins and plays another club, and now declarer is toast. If he ruffs low you score spade ten; if he ruffs high again he is out of high trumps in hand and must either concede the second diamond (in order to lead a spade up to jack) or concede a trick to the spade ten.

what if declarer "guesses" to put in ♠9 when you duck the ♠Ace? Can you still hold it to 8 tricks? If you win the ♠Ace can you still hold it to 8 tricks?

[inquiry]

I guess either this was only interesting to me, or it was too conceptionally hard. Probably the former. First, double dummy, yes win club and lead diamond king works on this hand because partner has two trumps. As a matter of fact, declarer manages to go down an extra trick.

 

But I know partner has singleton heart at trick one (declarer could have falsecarded with the heart nine to obscure this). Partenr gave count on the club suit, and declarer played like someone with Qx of clubs anyway, so declaerer is either 5-3-3-2 or 6-3-2-2 (assumming partner does not have 8 diamonds). So win club and give partner a heart rufff seems like it will set the contract when it can be set.

 

So I think, winning club and leading a heart is correct. I am not interested in a club back, so I didn't lead lowest. Partmer ruffed, yes! and lead back a diamond (perfect). Declarer popped up with ACE and lead a trump. Yes, awn is correct, ducking will probably work...as it is impossible for declarer to play the spade nine, but if he does, he can hold himself to down one (work it out). Winning the spade ace, however, is 100% down one if I find the right continuation which is the spade seven!!

 

Declarer can win the nine, ruff club high, but lacks entry to establish long club. Best he can do is pitch a diamond on heart ace, and eventually ruff a diamond, but he will never enjoy the long club. He can come to only 8 tricks. If I return the spade Ten (silly), now can score all his trumps in his hand and the dummys single trump separately after taking a diamond pitch on the heart and losing the diamond. Having the spade ten stops that.

 

Anyway, on homebase it shows the makable contracts (the four columns under the blue header)... so I look afterwards to see what could have happened. Partner and I could have made 2D and they could make 2NT, 2S, and 1C. The fact that the onlly other table that played in spades was held to the 8 tricks double dummy suggested, and the fact that I didn't bothered me and I couldn't find the right line for a while. (IS the makeable contract table intuitively obvious to read?)