A Little Technique

A Little Technique

The Kibitzer

I’ve always enjoyed kibitzing and love to follow a hand around the room in a pair event and watch the ways it is bid and played. The following hand fascinated me as I watched several players from novice to true expert play it in a recent pair game. These were the North/South Cards:

ª-A
©-Q98542
¨-AJ52
§-AQ2

ªS-KQJ10975
©H-7
¨D-K6
§C-953

Four spades was almost always the final contract, usually with North having bid Hearts and Diamonds along the way, and the usual opening lead was a Club.

Most declarers played the Queen, which lost to the King and back came the Jack of Clubs. Most won the Ace, cashed the Spade Ace, came to their hand with the Diamond King, finished the trumps and now had to choose between risking their contract and playing for the overtrick. A couple went for the diamond finesses, which lost and they went down one.

Two declarers took a slightly different line, one helped by the lead of the § 8 (the opposing pair were leading high from three small)...since Non-Vulnerable right hand opponent had not overcalled they did not expect the lead to be a singleton, so they took the best shot at an overtrick by DUCKING in dummy.
(Both made the subtle play of the §club 5 from the closed hand...just creating a little doubt).

The Club ten won the trick and (as declarer had expected) exited with a safe trump to dummy’s Ace. Now a heart (one lead the 9!) was called for from dummy and LHO went up with the Ace (He was experienced and other players had pulled that trick about leading a high card from dummy with a stiff King – hoping for a duck – NOT HIM).

The Ace won and second trump came back. The last trump was drawn and now a club was lead to the Ace and a second heart was ruffed. All trumps were lead out reaching this four card ending:

When the last trump was played LHO pitched a heart, dummy the Heart Queen and RHO placed his hand back in the board. He was down to the Club King and two diamonds to the Queen !!. The squeeze was just good technique (and would work whenever RHO had a doubleton Ace or King or LHO had both of them), but note that declarer never risked his contract and used several psychological strokes in the play by his use of spot cards.