Watch those trumps

The Kibitzer

After the East-West pair left the table I mused as to how South might have doubled had he known how good his trump holding was. He smiled and said, "You never know". This was the deal;

Both vulnerable and South deals:

The Bidding

A dull part score hand - - don’t you believe it! Just watch South’s trumps grow!

South opened the ¨-J, covered with the queen and North won with the King and cashed the ten as all followed.

What next? North was afraid to lead another diamond because dummy’s clubs looked solid and he was afraid that his side would not get their heart tricks unless he played them right now. He cashed the ©-A and followed with a low hear to South’s King. Well, South liked this line of defense and led his low heart.

Declarer ruffed in dummy with the ª-A and took stock. If he cashed the ª-Q and ruffed a diamond with the nine, he could draw trumps and take the last three tricks with top clubs. BUT, what if South overruffed the nine of spades – he would cash a heart and set the contract.

East though that it was a better idea to run three top clubs in order to discard his last heart. THEN, he would make up his mind about getting out of dummy to draw trumps. Not exactly the winning line, but not too illogical.

North ruffed the third club with the ª-10 and East decided not to throw the heart, but to overruff with the jack and then ruff the losing heart with dummy’s queen of trumps. Now, declarer had to get out of dummy again, and rather than risk the overruff in diamonds he lead a small club, which North ruffed with the seven and he overruffed with the nine.

All this time South was following suit and all he had left were his three little spades, while East likewise had three trumps, the K-5-3 while North was left with two diamonds and the ª-8. East could now do no better than play for 2-2 spades and he laid down the ª-K. Now tricks 12 and 13 were taken with the 6-4 of trumps over declarer’s 5-3 and the contract was set one.

South smiled again and said "Yeah, with partner bidding and me having two NATURAL trump tricks, maybe I really should have doubled."