Vul:None Dlr: E	Q4  AK92  AK7  9865
2  Q10873  10943  KQ7		AK109765  J54  8  104
	J83  6  QJ652  AJ32

West	North	East	South
		3	Pass
Pass	Dbl	Pass	4
All Pass

The Auction

On this layout it is crucial who deals. If North were the dealer, the opening bid would be 1NT. No matter what East does (2, 3), South will likely offer (eventually) 3NT, hoping partner has something in spades. 3NT is easy with the likely spade lead. There are 8 more tricks (5 diamonds, 2 hearts and 1 club). With a heart lead, declarer is challenged, but can always emerge with 9 tricks.

However, our dealer is East. Should East open 3 with this hand? Sure, why not? It is not strong enough for a one-level opening, and with a seven-card suit, the preempt should be on the three level. Some old-school mantras say something about not having an okay side 3-card major, but that is old school for a reason. With a decent suit and less than an opening bid, preempt. Just do it! The opening bid of 3 makes things difficult for the opponents.

The 3 opening is passed around to North who makes a takeout double. North has enough strength and support for all the unbid suits. East passes (don’t bid again after you preempt). South will take out the double, but to what? Yes, 3NT would be the winner, but South doesn’t know that spades are stopped. That leaves either 4 (an underbid) or 5 (an overbid). Since partner was in balancing seat (and could be on the light side), let’s go with 4 as shown. Nobody else has anything to say, so this Real Deal will be played in a partscore.

The Opening Lead:

With a decent trump holding (such as West’s), a side-suit singleton isn’t necessarily a great move, but since East bid spades, the singleton spade is a standout. Leading the K would be disastrous on this deal.

The Defense:

East wins the K and can read the opening lead as a likely singleton (with 3 spades, West would often raise the preempt). Even if it is South who has the singleton, it probably can’t hurt to lay down another high spade. Making declarer trump in the long hand is usually an okay strategy. Here, the second round of spades wins and West discards a low heart. Why not an encouraging 7? Because we never want to signal with a card that could be a trick. Here, West needs to keep all three clubs.

Now what? Since dummy can overruff if a third spade is played, there is probably no need to play more spades. Yes, West would be able to trump declarer’s winning J, but that card probably isn’t too useful since a discard from one of dummy’s four-card side suits isn’t likely to be helpful.

Therefore, East should play the 10 at trick 3. This is a safe play and leads through declarer to whatever strength West might have. On a great day, West will have the ace-queen of clubs and take not only those two tricks, but then would be able to issue a club ruff. South wins the A, but can’t make the contract. Declarer has a discard available on the second heart, but still has to lose two club tricks (along with the two spades) for down one. Good thing South didn’t bid 5.

Is minus 50 a good result for North-South? I’d say about average. Yes, 3NT can make, but at most tables, East will start with the same 3, after which it is tough for North-South to go plus. Some pairs might reach five diamonds down two.

In retrospect, perhaps South might have passed the takeout double. Without a trump stack, this isn’t easy to do, but with a singleton to lead, perhaps it has some merit. Here, it would be winning action (other than that impossible 3NT call). North would take two high hearts and then issue a ruff (with the high 9 to indicate diamond preference—the higher-ranking side suit). South could trump, cash the A and play a diamond to partner. Now another heart would create another trump trick for down two.

Lesson points:

• With less than an opening bid and a decent seven-card suit, preempt on the three level.
• When partner is in balancing seat, give some leeway.
• Making declarer trump in the long hand is usually a good defensive strategy.
• Never signal with what might be a trick.
• When issuing partner a ruff, play a suit-preference card (high for the highest side suit, low for the lowest side suit).