Different Approach

19th June – Board 19: East/West Game. Dealer South.

There should be a different mindset altogether when you are playing pairs, where every trick counts and when sometimes you have to take needless risks.

	North: S A J 9 4 2 H 7 6 5 D K Q 5 C 4 3
West: S Q 5 3 H J 10 8 D 8 7 3 2 C A J 7		East: S 10 8 7 H Q 4 3 D 6 4 C Q 10 8 5 2
	South: S K 6 H A K 9 2 D A J 10 9 C K 9 6

West	North	East	South
			1H
No	1S	No	2NT
No	3NT	End

Everyone will end up in 3NT sooner or later but just suppose for a moment that West leads a low diamond. Playing pairs you should go for broke by taking the spade finesse and when that suit obliges in the best way possible there are eleven easy tricks to be won. But now suppose you are playing in a teams event. On a diamond lead there are eight tricks on top and the ninth is most likely to come from the spade suit but if you take a finesse and it loses and the queen of clubs is returned (say) you would be in danger of losing five or more tricks. The correct approach would be to aim to keep East off lead at all costs making the correct play in spades to be the king followed by low to the ace and then a third round. Even if West started with a four card spade suit to the queen you will be able to establish a long spade in dummy assuming of course that you won the first diamond in hand. And on a good day you will find East with Qx in spades.