Vul Both
Dlr S
J3
KQ542
T9875
2
98765
K2
A93
T76
Q6
KJ4
T87
QJ643
AQT4
J8
A32
AK95
1
- 1
2NT - 3
(no description, I assumed New Minor Forcing, but looking at hand it coculd be either natural or NMF)
3
- 3NT (3
described as denying 3 herts)
P
If you look at GIB before the opening lead, there is no lead that allows this hand to make. My opponent led the
Q, I let it hold, now GOB says only a small heart will defeat the contract.
How things change so quickly! What would you shift to? I think that when faced with a diamond suit that could be set up, I would want to attack entries to that suit. So I would shift to a heart. Which heart? I think it is clear to lead a small heart with plans to take the second heart. Why? Well, in part because declarer announced fewer than 3 hearts. But there is another reason; if declarer lied and has three hearts, there is no way to defeat this contract.
I got lucky and LHO shifted to the
9; even though RHO ducked the king, I need that card with RHO. As declarer, along with the
K, I need the diamonds to break 3-2, and if they do, I have 9 tricks with hearts as my entry - I just have to be willing to overtake the jack. 3 spades, 1 heart, 3 diamonds and 2 clubs. This was the path I took.
Now the result was reasonable for the event 66.7%, but given the difficulty, I was hoping for more. So what beat me? Four players found their way into the 5-2 heart fit, making 4 or 5 depending on the defense, but one was in 3NT making six. How did that defense go? It started with the
9, ducked in dummy and up went the K, won by declarer. Declarer shifted to the
J, up went the ace and lets shift to a club. Now declarer tried the hearts while there was still a spade entry. They worked, so cash the
J, pitching all small cards except the
9. Meanwhile RHO is pseudo squeezed and guesses wrong at the end. On this defense, declarer is always getting a top by making either 5 or 6 depending on RHO's last pitch.
