The nail in the coffin

[jcreech]

Through the first seven boards, our team has been struggling and we are down 19.  Then things reversed, and the last three boards felt good, and that we might have a chance to pull this match out.  On board 8, they open 4 , partner doubles, and we defend perfectly for what should be a good result.  On board 9, we have a combined 30 HCPs, we each make a slam try below game, but settle in for game and to play safe, only make one overtrick; this might be a pickup if they bid slam.  On board 10, they double me in a game that I make two overtricks.  The match should still be close, though there are chances.

Boards 8 and 10 work out very well, but board 9 is a surprise.  They not only bid the slam, but made it.  This was the nail in our coffin.  Even on best defense, this is a slam that can make, but how would you do it?  Here are the hands with North declaring:

A762
AJT
AQJ2
KT


83
K432
K85
AJ94

Best defense starts with the Q and East drops the J as requested, you let it hold, and they continue with the K.  At least in the US, against NT, if your partner leads the Q and you hold the J, it is a demand that you unblock it unless you are the one with length in the suit.  Partner should have a holding such as KQT9(xx) and wants to avoid a Bath Coup (declarer holding up with AJx).

If you are like me, your thoughts are that you can never let East in because all those spades will now cash.  This also plays well into the thought that you have limited entries to dummy.  So in 3NT, I finessed both the heart and club through East.  I also did not get best defense, the K followed by the T, and I let the J hold, giving me a double stop in the suit.  The Q popped onside, but the T lost to the Q, which let me make 10 tricks.

To make this contract, you win the second spade, lay down the J, covering the Q.  Finesse the T coming back and cash the K. Cross back with the K, cash the A (the Q falls) and 9, then back to hand to cash the remaining winners.

If you have that many gyrations to make this slam, how was it made at the other table?  The opening lead was a club!  Now the clubs easily produce four tricks when West rises with the Q, diamonds always produce four, but you can now afford to cash the A before taking the finesse to fulfill the contract, but surprise!, the Q drops and hearts produce four tricks, and the A makes 13.

Urls follow to show the play.  Except for myself, the urls were edited to protect the innocent and guilty alike.

https://www.bridgebase.com/tools/handviewer.html?bbo=y&lin=pn%7CSouth%2CWest%2Cjcreech%2CEast%7Cst%7C%7Cmd%7C3S38H234KD58KC49JA%2CS5JH56789D479C25Q%2CS267AHTJAD2JQACTK%2C%7Crh%7C%7Cah%7CBoard%209%7Csv%7Ce%7Cmb%7C1D%7Cmb%7C1S%7Cmb%7Cd%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7C2S%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7C3S%7Can%7Cany%20forcing%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7C3N%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cpc%7CSK%7Cpc%7CS3%7Cpc%7CS5%7Cpc%7CS2%7Cpc%7CST%7Cpc%7CS8%7Cpc%7CSJ%7Cpc%7CS6%7Cpc%7CH9%7Cpc%7CHJ%7Cpc%7CHQ%7Cpc%7CHK%7Cpc%7CD5%7Cpc%7CD4%7Cpc%7CDA%7Cpc%7CD3%7Cpc%7CCT%7Cpc%7CC3%7Cpc%7CC4%7Cpc%7CCQ%7Cpc%7CH8%7Cmc%7C10%7C

https://www.bridgebase.com/tools/handviewer.html?bbo=y&lin=pn%7CSouth%2CWest%2CNorth%2CEast%7Cst%7C%7Cmd%7C3S38H234KD58KC49JA%2CS5JH56789D479C25Q%2CS267AHTJAD2JQACTK%2C%7Crh%7C%7Cah%7CBoard%209%7Csv%7Ce%7Cmb%7C2N%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7C3C%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7C3S%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7C6N%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cmb%7Cp%7Cpc%7CC8%7Cpc%7CC4%7Cpc%7CC2%7Cpc%7CCT%7Cpc%7CHJ%7Cpc%7CHQ%7Cpc%7CHK%7Cpc%7CH5%7Cpc%7CC9%7Cpc%7CC5%7Cpc%7CCK%7Cpc%7CC3%7Cpc%7CHA%7Cpc%7CC6%7Cpc%7CH2%7Cpc%7CH6%7Cpc%7CHT%7Cpc%7CS4%7Cpc%7CH3%7Cpc%7CH7%7Cpc%7CD2%7Cpc%7CD3%7Cpc%7CDK%7Cpc%7CD4%7Cpc%7CCA%7Cpc%7CCQ%7Cpc%7CS2%7Cpc%7CC7%7Cpc%7CCJ%7Cpc%7CD7%7Cpc%7CS6%7Cpc%7CS9%7Cpc%7CD5%7Cpc%7CD9%7Cpc%7CDA%7Cpc%7CD6%7Cpc%7CDQ%7Cpc%7CDT%7Cpc%7CD8%7Cpc%7CH8%7Cpc%7CDJ%7Cpc%7CST%7Cpc%7CS3%7Cpc%7CH9%7Cpc%7CSA%7Cpc%7CSQ%7Cpc%7CS8%7Cpc%7CS5%7Cpc%7CS7%7Cpc%7CSK%7Cpc%7CH4%7Cpc%7CSJ%7C

[kenberg]

A hand with various possibilities. A few thoughts, not all that much linked to each other.

Had you been inspired to pass South's double of 1 I think you would be +800!

The values are not there for a slam no reason to be in it.

Against 3NT the lead of the Q seems clear enough. Against 6NT I am nor so sure. E, with his 7 count,  expects his partner to have very little when NS reach 6NT. If dummy has Jxx that J might well be the 12th trick. So I might look for a passive lead, often a good idea against NT slams. A looks good. On the auction N has four and at least four , it looks like are there for the taking, a lead seems about as passive as we can be.

Back to the 3NT at Jim's table. Suppose that the opening lead is the Q ducked, the K is next, with W first pitching the J and then following with a spot. 3NT is surely safe. If E had not bid   then perhaps  E has only four ( he surely has at least four for the line of play)) and maybe W has the Q but still no problem, the defense gets the Q and three tricks. 

Anyway, after winning the second it costs nothing to lay down the A. When the Q falls we are now sure of 1+4+4+2=11 tricks. But I don't think we are taking any finesse for 12. We are not going to place a bet on W holding the Q by leading a to the T, the consequences of being wrong are too severe, and if E hold the Q there is no need to finesse. We cash the reds, throwing a on the long and a on the long , and end, after ten tricks, in our hand. We watch the discards from E. After the last red card everyone is down to three cards. If E still holds a then he is down to two . If E started with the Q it will now fall.  Well, W has the Q so we take 11 tricks not 12, but nobody would be taking that finesse.

3NT is a perfectly sensible contract. Virtue is not always rewarded.