Seeing Through Cards #10

* North's pass over 2♦ denies 3 spades

After some thought, you choose to lead the ♦A. Your partner plays the ♦2 and declarer the ♦5.

1. Where is the ♦T?
2. What will you play next?

Solution: 

1. Where is the ♦T?
   With South. If partner has a doubleton, he needs to play the high card first (there is no point in giving an attitude signal here, since all the high diamonds are in dummy, so East must give count).
   
2. What will you play next?
   Don't continue with another diamond. Ruffing a diamond can wait! Play first the ♥A and the ♥J. Declarer will win with the ♥K and will play spades. Win the trick with the ♠A and continue with the ♦9. Your partner will ruff, return a heart and you will ruff it with the ♠8. One down.
   If you play another diamond at trick 2, your partner will ruff it, but the defense will come to 4 tricks only, as you will not get your heart ruff.

Things to remember:

• Timing is everything, also on defense. This is a perfect example where West should wait before giving a ruff to his partner. Why? Because that ruff is the only entry to East's hand, and East needs to win the hand at the right moment, when he can give West a heart ruff. Having the ♠A in hand gives West confidence that trumps cannot be pulled quickly and he should recognize the precious ♠8 over dummy's low trumps as being the setting trick.
• Support double is an important weapon you should adopt. It applies when you open, your left hand opponent passes, your partner bids a 1 level major suit (can be 4 cards) and your right hand opponent overcalls. Double now will show exactly 3 cards in partner's suit (a direct raise in his suit will show 4 cards). Furthermore: Any other bid (NT, other suit or pass) from you will deny 3 cards in partner's suit (meaning, showing 3 cards by doubling has priority over showing anything else)! That also means that South's 2♠ must show 6 cards as North denied 3-card support.
• Your bid of 2♦, being vulnerable against not, could have cost you dearly: If South (with a hand such as KJxxx Qxxx x Kxx) would have doubled it (reopening double), North would have gladly passed for penalty. You would be very poor... 2♦ doubled goes 3 down. The defense can take 2 clubs, club ruff, 3 diamonds, one heart and a spade.
• It seems that 3NT can be easily made (with an overtrick) by N-S, but it was not easy to reach it (4♠ could also make if East had doubleton diamond).