(no subject)
In a sectional Swiss, you pick up
♠ AK72
♥ QJT9
♦ A
♣ AKQJ
Opponents silent throughout, the bidding goes
1♣ (1) -- 1♦ (2)
2♥ (3) -- 3♥ (4)
3♠ -- 4♣
4NT -- 6♣ (5)
6♥ -- All Pass
(1) Precision, 16+.
(2) 0-7.
(3) Strength for a standard 2♣ opening. This bid theoretically shows 5 hearts, but 4-4-4-1 hands are hard to bid.
(4) 3♣ would have been a second negative.
(5) One keycard and a void in clubs.
After the 4♣ cue bid, you're not exactly thrilled to hear that 10 of your HCP are sitting opposite a void, and you're not entirely certain that you've landed in an 8-card fit, but the voidwood response to 4NT commits you to 12 tricks, so you place the contract in 6♥ and hope for the best.
LHO leads a low spade, and dummy tables the following:
♠ xxxx
♥ K8xx
♦ 9xxxx
♣ (void)
You win RHO's queen with your ace and start attacking trumps from hand. Both follow to the first round, and LHO ducks the second round, RHO showing out. Now what?
It turns out that those 10 HCP opposite a void may be useful after all. You play three rounds of clubs, pitching spades from dummy, then ruff a low spade, both opponents following. Now you can afford to drive out the trump ace and score the rest of the tricks in hand for +980.
It's fortunate that the opponents didn't start with a diamond lead. If declarer's diamond ace is removed, LHO can step up with the ace of trump at any point and force declarer with another diamond, gaining trump control.
At the other table the opponents (bidding standard) land in 4♠, making only 5 because the slow spade loser is unavoidable when spades are the trump suit.
♠ AK72
♥ QJT9
♦ A
♣ AKQJ
Opponents silent throughout, the bidding goes
1♣ (1) -- 1♦ (2)
2♥ (3) -- 3♥ (4)
3♠ -- 4♣
4NT -- 6♣ (5)
6♥ -- All Pass
(1) Precision, 16+.
(2) 0-7.
(3) Strength for a standard 2♣ opening. This bid theoretically shows 5 hearts, but 4-4-4-1 hands are hard to bid.
(4) 3♣ would have been a second negative.
(5) One keycard and a void in clubs.
After the 4♣ cue bid, you're not exactly thrilled to hear that 10 of your HCP are sitting opposite a void, and you're not entirely certain that you've landed in an 8-card fit, but the voidwood response to 4NT commits you to 12 tricks, so you place the contract in 6♥ and hope for the best.
LHO leads a low spade, and dummy tables the following:
♠ xxxx
♥ K8xx
♦ 9xxxx
♣ (void)
You win RHO's queen with your ace and start attacking trumps from hand. Both follow to the first round, and LHO ducks the second round, RHO showing out. Now what?
It turns out that those 10 HCP opposite a void may be useful after all. You play three rounds of clubs, pitching spades from dummy, then ruff a low spade, both opponents following. Now you can afford to drive out the trump ace and score the rest of the tricks in hand for +980.
It's fortunate that the opponents didn't start with a diamond lead. If declarer's diamond ace is removed, LHO can step up with the ace of trump at any point and force declarer with another diamond, gaining trump control.
At the other table the opponents (bidding standard) land in 4♠, making only 5 because the slow spade loser is unavoidable when spades are the trump suit.