A Coup For You

Declarer held the following:

A T Q x x Q x A K T x x x.

If partner returns a heart, declarer will fly ace, run clubs, and (reading the position) put you in with your K to cash a spade and lead away from your diamond holding.

Your only hope is to get a diamond shift from partner, hoping that declarer has a doubleton. If partner is smart enough to keep his long diamond in the end position, you can defeat the contract by coming down to Kx in both red suits in the four-card ending (pitching your winning spades). Your long diamond is an exit card to the setting trick.

Could your partnership accomplish this with a suit-preference small spade on the second round of clubs?

I said it was a tough defense.

I found it disturbing that there was no consensus on the steps for responding to Exclusion Blackwood. Eddie Kantar, the universally recognized authority on these matters, says that a jump to 4, beyond game, is EKB. Eddie says (on p. 46 of his excellent book, Roman Keycard Blackwood) that the steps are 0, 1, 2 outside of the void suit. In the unlikely event that one needs to inquire about the trump queen, it is the next step. Responder either signs off or bids the grand.

Our partnerships shall henceforth play Eddie’s method. Those who have not done so should buy the book!

Meanwhile, the question remains whether one should use EKB on this hand. Ralph Katz points out that one should plan to play in diamonds (as in fact I did) and that hearts might be pitched on enough black winners, making the Q irrelevant.

I tried to take over the auction with a Jacoby raise, initiating cue-bidding. I lost control of proceedings when partner (holding KQx of spades) took over with Blackwood. Even though I showed a void, we did not reach the grand. Steve Beatty also tried to get to cue-bidding by making a splinter over the opening 1 call. It is a tough hand. The grand is excellent in two different suits, but not reached at either table. It is nice to get lesson hands like this in events that you win anyway.

I chose to bid 5NT and partner called 6. I was trying for GSF, but I was not sure about his call. Partner thought he was using Exclusion Blackwood. It is amazing how much ambiguity can set in when one agrees to play certain conventions. At least I knew that he would not bid 5 without spade support.

I called 6 . Partner passed, LHO led a and partner tabled the following hand:

K x, A K Q 9 x x K Q 9 x x —-.

I ruffed, of course, and played trumps. Although they split 4-1, RHO had the ten, so we made 6 .

7 depends upon a 4-3 heart split. The 10 is a big card.

At the other table, they wandered into 6. The opponents were strong players and I am sure their auction was a difficult one. We won three imps, part of a 5-0 margin and enough to hang on to win the swiss.

How far should one go to keep things alive? Playing IMP’s with
neither vul, partner opens 1 and you hold the following:

J T 9 6 5 K 4 J 6 J 7 6 5

You respond 1 and partner rebids 2, opponents silent throughout.

What is your call?

Click for Solution

I chose to pass. Partner had x A Q T x x x x A Q T x x. At the other table the opponents were steaming and reached 5, making on a hook. It would have been nice to find 4.

The false preference of 2 allows partner to come again with a good hand. This certainly seems like the minimum, given the conditions. Was it enough?