Charlotte, North Carolina

Here are two play hands from the Charlotte (October, 2007) Regional:

First, you reach 4 (from the short side) on this layout:

Vul: Both Dlr: South	J 10 9 8 7 5 Q 10 2 J 4 Q 5
	A Q 4 5 A K 5 2 8 7 6 4 2

West	North	East	South
			1*
1	2**	Pass	4
Pass	Pass	Pass

*Precision
**Artificial, 6

The treatment of 2 to show 6 is gaining in popularity these days. (In conjunction, double is used to show 4 or 5.) This has the effect of right-siding the contract (putting the overcaller on lead).

West leads the A, and unable to read the signal, continues with the K.

Your plan?

I see nothing better than playing the top diamonds and ruffing a diamond in dummy to take a trump finesse.

All follow to the ace-king of diamonds, but on the next diamond, you ruff high in dummy (not carelessly with the 5) and East discards a heart! This is strange.

Now what?

West seems to have started with at least 10 red cards. East didn't overruff, so it looks like West has the K. There is a good chance it is singleton.

So, cross your fingers (if you wish) and play a spade to your ace. The king falls. Making 620 for a 10-imp gain:

Vul: Both Dlr: South	J 10 9 8 7 5 Q 10 2 J 4 Q 5
K A K 8 7 6 Q 10 9 7 3 K 3		6 3 2 J 9 4 3 8 6 A J 10 9
	A Q 4 5 A K 5 2 8 7 6 4 2

That's how my partner, David Berkowitz played it, to win our team 10 IMPs (not surprisingly, the other table played a partscore).

This deal was also played by my partner, David Berkowitz in one of the knockout matches. He'll be so happy if he reads this pair of deals (he complains that I usually write about the ones he screws up).

A 7
A Q 5 4 2
9 5
A K 8 6

At IMPs, with both vulnerable, your RHO deals and opens 2. What's your call?

This hand has the wrong shape and texture for a natural 2NT. While 3 is a possible call, I prefer double, which is more flexible. Partner bids 3 (in this case it promised some values, due to a conventional treatment) and you bid 3, raised to 4.

Vul: Both Dlr: East	5 3 K 6 3 A Q 4 2 7 4 3 2
	A 7 A Q 5 4 2 9 5 A K 8 6

West	North	East	South
		2	X
Pass	3*	Pass	3
Pass	4	All Pass

*values

The 2 is led and RHO plays the 9. What is your plan?

At suit contracts, it's best to count losers. Here, you have to lose a spade and a club for sure. If clubs and hearts are 3-2, you will make this contract even with the K wrong. But, with RHO known to have 6 spades, side suits are less likely to split evenly.

The key play, as is so often the case, must be made at trick one. You should let East hold the 9. It is hard to see the exact reason, but on general principles, it is usually good to surrender such unavoidable losers early (in this case, you are cutting later defensive communications).

RHO wins the 9 and returns the suit to your ace. You test trumps with the ace and king and discover that RHO started with a singleton. With a sure trump loser, you now have to hope clubs and diamonds combine for only one loser. You lay down the A and K, all following. Should you take the diamond finesse for your contract?

What's the hurry? Exit with your last club and if RHO has the third club, he will be endplayed. This was the real deal in Charlotte:

Vul: Both Dlr: East	5 3 K 6 3 A Q 4 2 7 4 3 2
Q 8 2 J 9 8 7 10 8 7 6 J 9		K J 10 9 6 4 10 K J 3 Q 10 5
	A 7 A Q 5 4 2 9 5 A K 8 6

Let's review the play. You ducked the 9 at trick one (the key play). You won the next spade, drew only 2 trumps and played 3 rounds of clubs. What happens on the third club? It does West no good to ruff with his natural trump trick, so East wins. He has to either give a ruff-sluff (you throw your diamond loser and ruff in dummy), or lead from his K. This partial elimination earns you 620 and a 13-imp gain (the other table played 3NT down 2).

Note: Had you won the first trick, the endplay wouldn't have worked. East would be able to get to his partner in spades for a diamond through the dummy and a defensive trick in each suit.

To see two (advanced-level) bidding decisions from this same tournament, click here.