Wednesday, August 8, 2018

Mercercrest card reading hand

Mercercrest bridge club in Mercer island has its games every Tuesday evening and is considered one of the better fields in the Seattle area.

This is a hand from a recent game.

You are South and end up in 2S after the following auction


MPS
None 
 Dummy
♠ xxx
♥ Tx
♦ KTx
♣ AJTxx

    


 You
♠ JT98x
♥ AJxx
♦ A9x
♣ x

W N E S
1CP1H1S
X*2SPP
P

X was support, promising exactly 3 hearts. E/W play that 1D typically promises 4 and play 2/1 with strong NT (15-17).

LHO starts off with the Spade AKQ of trumps, RHO following twice and throwing a club on the third.

LHO then shifts to a low heart you play low from dummy and RHO plays low. Your spots are low enough that you have to win the J.

How will you play?



At the table I decided to play a club to the A and ruff a club back in hand. RHO followed with the Q.

The hand is almost an open book now.

LHO didn't open 1D, so cannot be 3=3=4=3, thus LHO has the CK. LHO also had the AKQ of spades. Since RHO played low on the heart, it is likely that RHO does not have both the K and Q.

LHO also has a balanced hand. If they had the HK they would have 15 points and thus would need both the DQ and DJ otherwise they would have opened 1NT. This would give RHO HQ and CQ.

So it is likely that LHO has the HQ and RHO has both the DQ and DJ (otherwise LHO would open 1NT).

Thus LHO has AKQ, Qxx, xxx, Kxxx and RHO had xx, Kxxx, QJxx, Qxx.


You can guarantee the contract by playing A and another heart.

If LHO wins and shifts to a diamond, thanks to your T and 9, you can capture RHO's Jack and then endplay them with a heart to lead a diamond back.

If RHO overtakes the HQ and cashes their 4th heart they are endplayed into leading a diamond back.

As it happened, LHO won the HQ and continued the CK!

Now you can ruff go to dummy with the DK and cash the good club to squeeze RHO for the overtrick. Made 9.

The four hands


MPS
None 
 Dummy
♠ xxx
♥ Tx
♦ KTx
♣ AJTxx
 West
♠ AKQ
♥ Qxx
♦ xxx
♣ Kxxx

     


 East
♠ xx
♥ Kxxx
♦ QJxx
♣ Qxx
 You
♠ JT98x
♥ AJxx
♦ A9x
♣ x

W N E S
1CP1H1S
X*2SPP
P


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