This post talks about counting losers in a trump contract. If you want some practice on doing that please read this post first:
Counting Losers
This post picks up from the previous post so please read that one first:
How Can Getting an OVERTRICK be Bad?
Did you figure it out? How I can take 12 tricks?
Here are the hands again:
Contract:4♥ Opening lead:3♦
Dummy:
♠QJT3
♥Q942
♦AKT8
♣8
Declarer:
♠K52
♥AKJ5
♦QJ952
♣4
First let's count losers again. I will count the losers in Declarer's hand since Declarer has that nice ♦ suit.
How many losers does Declarer have in each of the suits?
You heard what happened last post. Everyone took 12 tricks but me. I somehow have to figure out how to get rid of one of my losers. Hmmmmm.
Can't see any way of getting rid of that ♠ loser. I should always have to give the Opponents that trick.
That leaves the ♣ loser. Do I have to lose that one?
I do have a long ♦ suit. I have longer ♦ in my hand. That means that I can play off all the ♦ and on my fifth ♦ I no longer have any ♦ in Dummy. I can throw away a losing card from Dummy.
If I throw away a ♠ that doesn't help me one bit. I still have to lose a ♠.
BUT if I throw away a ♣ then I won't have any ♣ in Dummy. That means that I can trump the losing ♣ from my hand in Dummy. That would avoid a ♣ loser. Then I just have to lose that ♠.
Play this out at home if you are having troubles understanding. Deal out the cards and play along with me.
Dummy:
♠QJT3
♥Q942
♦AKT8
♣8
Declarer:
♠K52
♥AKJ5
♦QJ952
♣4
The lead was the 3♦. I won the lead in Dummy and took out three rounds of trump. This is what the two hands look like now:
Dummy:
♠QJT3
♥Q
♦KT8
♣8
Declarer:
♠K52
♥5
♦QJ95
♣4
I play HIGH card from the SHORT SIDE in ♦ ending in my hand. So I start with the K♦, then play the T♦ and then the 8♦ winning the trick in my hand with the J♦. This is what the two hands look like now:
Dummy:
♠QJT3
♥Q
♦
♣8
Declarer:
♠K52
♥5
♦Q
♣4
I am now in my hand. I can play the Q♦ and play the ♣ from Dummy. This is what the two hands look like now:
Dummy:
♠QJT3
♥Q
♦
♣
Declarer:
♠K52
♥5
♦
♣4
I don't need to trump the ♣ right away. Right now I want to play the K♠. HIGH card from the SHORT SIDE. The Opponents win their A♠ and try to play the A♣ but I trump the A♣ in Dummy and all the ♠ in Dummy are good. Making 12 tricks!
Note that if the Opponents had started with a ♣ I would have lost the trick. But they didn't start with a ♣ and when they didn't take that trick right away I was able to throw away my losing ♣ and take 12 tricks.
Hi Heidi, What I am having trouble understanding is why the opponents don't cash their Ace of trump and play the Ace of clubs early not allowing you to discard the club? Pat Wiens
ReplyDeleteOn this hand the Opponents need to cash their Ace of Club right away. If they don't it goes away because I have control of the trump suit and can take out the trump, run all my Diamonds and then throw away my losing Club before they ever get in again.
ReplyDeleteOn this hand I think the person on opening lead led the Diamond because it was a singleton. They were hoping Partner had the Ace and would win and then return a Diamond for them to trump.
Perhaps they also had to lead from the KJxx of Clubs and that is not the best holding to lead from.
So YES, the Opponents can take their two Aces right away and there is nothing Declarer can do BUT if they do NOT take their Aces right away Declarer should throw away the Club loser on the Diamonds. (Throwing away a Spade does not help eliminate any losers.)
Since everyone else took 12 tricks it looks like the Diamond was probably a normal lead for the Opponents. It just didn't work out well for them on this hand.