Visiting Honors

A student asked me to play at the Honors club, which (perpetually) vies with the Manhattan for the title of being the best club in New York. Rather like rival football teams in the same city, each has its supporters, and most of the time there is little to choose between them. I prefer the Manhattan, but by a very slim margin, and I have no problem with visiting Honors sometimes. After playing well for a stretch, I have found myself in a slump for a couple of weeks. I found the defence on this hand especially gratifying, therefore.

  

I paused for thought. We have three tricks, but the situation is grim. Declarer probably started with six trumps, and even if he didn't the suit is breaking. There's no hope in hearts – declarer certainly has the ace. It's just possible declarer is false-carding and has a third club, but I don't really believe it. That leaves diamonds, but leading a diamond at this point is not without risk. If declarer has the nine, we're leading into a tenace. Is it right to play passively now, returning a club and waiting for the diamond trick later? No: counting tricks, declarer has five spades, two hearts, two diamonds and a club – that makes ten. Wait a minute. Six spades, two clubs, and three diamonds only leaves room for two hearts. A diamond lead now takes out dummy's entry while the heart suit is blocked.

 

Declarer was too fond of finesses, and Student's passive returns gave him enough rope. Even so, a careless club return at the end would have let him wriggle free. I was pleased to work it out, despite being in poor form.

The good luck that seemed to have deserted me recently returned full force on the next hand.

 

But there was still some of the bad stuff around.

 

I really did hesitate before bidding 6, because the flat distribution and the weak diamonds are ominous even before you see dummy. But in the end, I decided that the field would probably be in 6 and went with it. At least we scored average, because that assessment was correct.