Hand of the day #417
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This conundrum was written by Paul Thurston and was originally published in Bridge at the Breakfast Table - you can find out all about the book further down the page.
Opening lead: ♥4
In another installment of the long-running bridge soap opera “Greed Goeth Before a Set”, today’s declarer certainly got full value for his side’s heart intermediates — albeit at the eventual cost of his contract.
Before the transfer-addicted among you decide North’s initial response is a misprint — relax! This North-South pair was using the 2♦ cuebid as a major-suit inquiry — like Stayman — so that North raised to the nine-trick game after South denied four cards in hearts or spades.
West wrestled with his conscience and decided this was one occasion where leading his partner’s suit might not be totally productive and, in the absence of a lead-directing double of North’s response, West’s choice of leading his fourth-best heart looks pretty good.
South was delighted to see the lead had presented him with a second heart stopper as he wasted no time in capturing East’s queen at Trick 1 and then played on spades to force out the ace. East won the ♠A and switched to the ♥6, showing an even number of hearts remaining, so that West had no difficulty ducking the trick to preserve defensive communications.
Declarer soon found that, even though the diamond finesse worked, he didn’t have nine tricks without playing on clubs. However, the first time he led the suit from dummy, East flew up with the ace to return his last heart and dash South’s hopes
Too much of a good thing — that second heart trick had been South’s undoing. If declarer had simply ducked the first two rounds of hearts (as he would have done without the combining value of the jack and ten!), won the third and gone about his business of forcing out the black aces, he would have ended with the nine tricks required — even though only one of those winners would have been a heart.
Many Canadians do indeed get their daily dose of bridge ‘at the breakfast table’ — by reading Paul thurston’s daily column in the National Post, one of only two newspapers in circulation throughout the whole of Canada. This book is a collection of some of his best and most interesting articles — tips, oddities, and just plain interesting deals and stories.
I think 3NT is making, if dummy plays H5 at first trick. The declarer catches East's H6 or H3 with H8 or East's HQ or H3 with HA. From the bidding it is clear East has both black aces. S could play either low S or low C and allow East to take the trick. When a heart is returned, allow West to take the trick with HK or the HJ (or later the 3rd heart with the declarer) provides 10th trick (3 spades, 3 clubs, 2 hearts and 2 diamonds. When East gets the second black ace he has no more hearts to return
on second thought, I withdraw my above comment.