More Patterns
After writing about our aptitude for spotting patterns it was no surprise that later in the week, at the local club game, there was a cluster of deals with the same theme. Naturally it is the repetitions we spot that impress – if you miss them or the circumstances don't arise at your table to make them critical, then they pass like ships in the night. This is the lesson about perceived anomalies in computer dealt cards; no-one spots a cluster of singleton fives but everyone's attention is drawn to singleton kings.
The theme on Thursday was… Well, I'll set this as a problem, you are south defending against two hearts at love all:
| Dummy | |||
| ♠ K75 | |||
| ♥ 8732 | |||
| ♦ K87 | |||
| ♣ 632 | |||
| You | |||
| ♠ AJ9 | |||
| ♥ K5 | |||
| ♦ Q104 | |||
| ♣ QJ754 | |||
| West | North | East | South | |
| 1NT | ||||
| Pass | Pass | 2♥ | End |
East protects your one no-trump (12-14) and no-one has any more to say. If you were sure your partner would read a double from you as take-out (good agreement) you would have made it but no such agreement existed. Your club queen lead is won by declarer's king and he advances the heart queen. You take the king and play another heart, won by partner's ace. They cash the club ace and play another but declarer ruffs to play diamonds. Dummy's king wins the first round, then declarer's ace then…?
You must not still hold the diamond queen – it should have gone under the ace or king. The defence's trumps are drawn, declarer has no club in either hand and if you have to play spades, it surely will not be to your side's advantage.
| ♠ 8642 | |||
| ♥ A4 | |||
| ♦ J632 | |||
| ♣ A108 | |||
| ♠ K75 | ♠ Q103 | ||
| ♥ 8732 | ♠ QJ1096 | ||
| ♦ K87 | ♠ A95 | ||
| ♣ 632 | ♠ K9 | ||
| ♠ AJ9 | |||
| ♥ K5 | |||
| ♦ Q104 | |||
| ♣ QJ754 | |||
From your seat, opening up the spade suit concedes two tricks (and the contract). But if partner, north, can lead them declarer may go wrong. His successful play is to rise with the spade queen and you really are stuck with the lead on winning the ace as you hold the knave and he has the ten. But the knave could easily be with north and now a finesse of the ten would be the right play – if you don't give them a chance to go wrong, they won't. Had north held the ♠10, then you would have two tricks for sure. And yes, north should have played a spade earlier.
The theme? Unblocking – I counted four deals at our table; I'll keep the others for later.
Published Saturday 14.Nov.2009