Louie's Un-super Play | OKbridge Blog

Dealer: South
Both sides vulnerable

North

A J 10 3 2

A Q 5 4

J 10 3

West

J 8 7 2

K 8 5 4 2

10 9 3

East

Q 8 5

9 6

9 7 6

Q 7 6 4 2

South

K 9 6 4

K 10 3

A Q

K J 8 5

South	West	North	East
1 NT	Pass	2�	Pass
2�	Pass	6�	All Pass

Opening Lead:� 10

“Are you superstitious?” Unlucky Louie asked me.”Not much,” I replied. “I guess I’m merely stitious.”

“Well, do you believe that old advice that ‘the queen lies over the jack’?”

“No.”

Louie had been declarer at today’s slam. West led the ten of clubs to dummy’s ace. Louie next took the ace of trumps and led a second trump … to his king. When West showed out, Louie threw a diamond from dummy on his king of clubs and ruffed a club. When no queen fell, he took the top hearts, but West had a stopper. Louie then finessed in diamonds, but West produced the king. Down one.

QUEEN OF TRUMPS
“I should have played for the queen of trumps to lie over the jack,” Louie sighed.How would you play six spades?Louie should in fact let dummy’s jack of trumps ride at Trick Three, but not because of any silly sayings. If West could take the queen, he would be end-played. Whether he led another club, a diamond or a heart next, Louie would get a free finesse and a 12th trick.DAILY QUESTION�

You hold:
A J 10 3 2
A Q 5 4
J 10 3
A
. You open one spade, your partner responds 1NT, you bid two hearts and he tries three clubs The opponents pass. What do you say?

ANSWER�
Partner has a weak hand with six or seven clubs. If he had a hand such as 5 4, 3 2, A 4 2, K Q J 9 7 6, he would have responded two clubs, intending to rebid three clubs next. Clubs must be trumps, but game is unlikely at clubs and more so at notrump. Pass and take a plus.