Eliminate the danger

How should South play today's diamonds? If you think that is the key question, you may not be going after the right suit. Dummy won the first club and South wondered if the diamonds were 2-2. He decided that they didn't have to be 2-2;  ♦K10x or ♦Q10x in the East hand would also land the game.

At trick two, he led a diamond and capture East's ♦Q with his ♦A. He returned to dummy with the ♦Q and led another diamond, and East showed out. West won cheaply and continued clubs, and there was no way to save the game.

South's analysis of the diamond suit was accurate, but instead he should have taken the best road to assure nine tricks. After winning the ♦A, South should play his top spades. When the suit splits 3-3, he no longer has any reason to concern himself with diamonds. He knocks out the ♦A and claims four spades, two hearts, two clubs and one diamond just enough for game.

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Twitter ID  : @HemaDeora

Eliminate the danger

 Sometimes it is fun to match wits with famous player and see if you can do as well (or better) than he or she.  The above hand was played by five-time world champion Billy Eisenberg many a moons ago.

At trick one Billy hopefully tried the ªQ. No luck.  East produced the king.  Billy won the ªA, led a diamond to the ten, cashed the ¨A, crossed to the ©A and discarded dummy’s losing spade on the ¨K.  Billy wound up losing two clubs and a heart.  The question is, how did Billy know to play like this or was he just lucky?

         

He was not lucky. Once Billy saw East turn up with ªK and a high club honor he knew that West had all the rest of the high cards.  Just a minute! When did Billy see a high club honor come out of the East hand?  He did not actually see it, but he knew it was there.  If West had the §AK he would have led a club, not a spade, on opening lead.  Since a high club honor was marked in the East hand, Billy knew that the missing red suit honors were both in the West hand.  You do not get to be a five-time world champion unless you work out things like this.

Blog          : http://www.hemadeora.blogspot.in

Twitter ID  : @HemaDeora

Eliminate the danger

Sometimes it is fun to match wits with famous player and see if you can do as well (or better) than he or she.  The above hand was played by five-time world champion Billy Eisenberg many a moons ago.

At trick one Billy hopefully tried the ªQ. No luck.  East produced the king.  Billy won the ªA, led a diamond to the ten, cashed the ¨A, crossed to the ©A and discarded dummy’s losing spade on the ¨K.  Billy wound up losing two clubs and a heart.  The question is, how did Billy know to play like this or was he just lucky?

         

He was not lucky. Once Billy saw East turn up with ªK and a high club honor he knew that West had all the rest of the high cards.  Just a minute! When did Billy see a high club honor come out of the East hand?  He did not actually see it, but he knew it was there.  If West had the §AK he would have led a club, not a spade, on opening lead.  Since a high club honor was marked in the East hand, Billy knew that the missing red suit honors were both in the West hand.  You do not get to be a five-time world champion unless you work out things like this.

Blog          : http://www.hemadeora.blogspot.in

Twitter ID  : @HemaDeora

Eliminate the danger

I hear thunder! I hear thunder!

Oh don’t you? Oh don’t you?

In the above deal South solved only half the problem in his play of today's slam.  And it was the second half that "done him in".

After winning the §A, South led three rounds of spades first, discarding dummy’s last club.  Thinking his work was over.  South then led a trump to West’s ©A, but West countered with a fourth round spades.  Curtains!  East ©9 beat dummy’s trumps and the slam went one down.

South needed to discard dummy’s small club was obvious.  He needed to discard his high spade was not so obvious to him.  That’s why South deserves only half credit.

After the third round of spades has eliminated the danger in clubs, South must eliminate the new danger in spades.  And instead of leading trumps, South should cash dummy’s high diamonds discarding his ªJ.  Now there is no longer the danger of an overruff by East and south is free to knock out the ©A.

Blog             : http://www.hemadeora.blogspot.in

Twitter ID    : @HemaDeora

An Endplay

Weather forecast says the monsoon is expected to arrive on time this year hitting Kerala on June 1st!  According to Hindu mythology, the migratory birds, commonly known as 'Chatak' is suppose to be the harbinger of monsoon.  Its arrival is an indicator of the timely on set of the monsoon.

Here you have eight tricks: four spades, one heart, one diamond and two clubs. The diamond finesse is the obvious place to turn for trick number nine, but will that finesse work? Especially when an opponent has bid.

So, given West's opening bid, the diamond finesse is bound to fail and West is known to have four heart tricks ready to cash.  Instead, South must arrange an endplay on West.

South must duck the first tricks, win the second and cash his spade tricks.  Let's assume West discards one diamond and one club.  south should cash two top clubs, and then exit with a heart.  At trick twelve, West will have to lead away from his ¨K4 into your ¨AQ!

Blog: http://www.hemadeora.blogspot.in
Twitter ID : @HemaDeora