At the 2005 Denver Nationals, I ran into Barry Rigal (a well-known bridge writer). He asked me, "Larry--have you ever seen a contract where you want to go down?" I didn't recall anything specific, but it seemed like something that could happen, especially at duplicate scoring.
Sure enough, the very next day, I played this deal in the Blue Ribbon Pairs:
Vul: Both Dlr: North |
J 9
A K 8
A J 9 3
K Q 10 3
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A 6
Q J 9 4
Q 6 5 4 2
6 5
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What is the correct contract? At matchpoints, usually 3NT is a good bet, but here there is a problem. The defense will likely lead spades, knocking out your only stopper. If diamonds run, you will have 10 easy tricks for +630. However, diamonds are less than 50% to run (you need not only the king onside, but a little more).
If diamonds don't come in, 3NT will fail by TWO tricks (presuming spades 5-4). The defense gets 4 spade tricks, a diamond and the club ace.
The best contract (at any form of scoring) is probably 4
in the 4-3 fit. My partner and I reached 5
--probably second best. How is 5
?
Again, assume a spade lead. If diamonds come in, you can draw trump and play hearts to throw a spade loser. You will lose only a club trick and make 12 tricks for +620. Sure enough, in our 5
contract they led spades. I won and played a diamond to the jack. I was hoping to go down!
Do you see why? I expected most pairs to be in 3NT (that's just the way it is at matchpoints). If diamonds run, the "field" would be +630--and I'd get a near bottom for my +620 (I'd even lose to pairs in SIX diamonds). If diamonds were unfriendly, I'd go down, but I'd get a great score. I'd be down only 1 for minus 100. Meanwhile, the 3NT declarers would be down at least two, minus 200 (as would pairs in 6
). Surely, this was the time to root for failure. Down would be a near top, making would be a near bottom.
Now for the good-news, bad-news department. The diamond finesse loses at trick two. This should mean happy days, right? Wrong! This was the full layout:
Vul: Both Dlr: North |
J 9
A K 8
A J 9 3
K Q 10 3
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K Q 10
7 6 5
8 7
A J 9 8 7
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8 7 5 4 3 2
10 3 2
K 10
4 2
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A 6
Q J 9 4
Q 6 5 4 2
6 5
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The &%$#&! spades were blocked! Everyone in 3NT made it. The defense led spades, yes, but there was no way to beat 3NT. The field was +600. We were -100 and got almost no matchpoints. I'll be keeping my eyes open for more deals where I want to go down. Maybe the next one will have a happier ending.
Updated: March 2022