In an IMP Pairs at the ACBL Spring Championships, North-South (as reported in the Daily Bulletin by Phil Clayton) got to four spades, and West led the queen of hearts. Declarer won and led a trump: nine, jack, four. He returned a diamond to dummy and led a second trump: queen, king, ace. A third trump from West went to dummy’s ten.

Declarer next led a club, and when East did well to play low, South tried the seven. That would have worked had East held, say, Q-9-2, but as it was, the defense got two clubs to hold South to his contract.

Stopping an overtrick was no big deal in an IMP event, but the defense might have done better; East missed a textbook falsecard: When dummy leads a trump at Trick Two, East must play the queen, the card he will soon be known to hold. Declarer’s king will lose to the ace, and later declarer will surely finesse with dummy’s eight, playing West for A-9-7-4. Then if declarer misguesses the club position, he loses four tricks.

Clayton reports that only Cornelius Duffie, a U.S. Junior international player, found the defense to beat four spades.

Daily question >> You hold: ? Q 9 ? 10 8 2 ? 10 9 8 5 ? K Q 5 2. Your partner opens one heart, you raise to two hearts and he next bids two spades. The opponents pass. What do you say?

Answer >> Your hand is a near-minimum and your trump support is poor, and to sign off at three hearts might appeal. Still, it costs nothing to try three clubs to show strength there. If partner has a hand such as A J 4 3, A K 5 4 3, 2, A 5 3, with which he needs help for his club losers, he will be encouraged to bid four hearts.

East dealer

E-W vulnerable

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