Sneaking through second hand

Today’s deal comes from a past Trumps Spring Teams Congress. Your partner opens 1S and you have this hand:

S J64
H KJ6
D JT65
C KJT

With 3-card support and 10 points, the hand is not good enough for a limit raise to 3S, so you start by raising to 2S. Over that, partner bids 3D. What does this bid indicate? What call should you make next?

With the fit found, partner’s bid of a new suit is a trial bid, inviting game and indicating some length in the suit. You may not pass.

Having shown 6-10 points, you (with 10 HCP) could hardly have a better hand. On the downside, you have little help for the two long suits partner has shown.

With stuff in the other suits, hearts and clubs, one possibility would be to try 3NT, which proved to be the top spot. The actual contract of 4S was not such a good one. Cover the East-West cards and consider your play, on the lead of the H10: 

Dealer North, both vul.

          NORTH 
          S J64
          H KJ6
          D JT65
          C KJT
WEST                EAST
S 953               S 87
H T92               H Q87543
D K97               D AQ
C A976              C 853
          SOUTH 
          S AKQT2
          H A
          D 8432
          C Q42

WEST NORTH EAST SOUTH
     Pass  Pass 1S
Pass 2S    Pass 3D
Pass 4S  All pass

You win the heart lead with the ace then cash the A-K of spades, with both opponents following.

The problem is that there are four top losers – three diamonds and a club. The HK in dummy is available as a “surplus winner”, but discarding a diamond or club from hand on it will not eliminate a loser there.

If you could sneak two club tricks without West taking the ace, then you could discard the third club on the HK.

Declarer led a low club from South, and West rightly played second hand low, hoping declarer would play the jack (or ten) from dummy and that East might have the CQ. Instead, declarer called for dummy’s CK, then crossed back to hand with a trump, and led a low club towards dummy’s J-10 of clubs.

West hesitated then played low, hoping East had the CQ, succumbing to the illusion that declarer had been hoping to create.

West should have risen with the CA on the second round of clubs. Declarer would not have played clubs this way with four small in hand.  West visualises the danger of the actual situation, where declarer has only the CQ left; this card was now discarded on dummy’s HK.

Next, the DJ was led from dummy, taken by East’s DA. The subsequent HQ lead from ruffed by declarer.

Now a diamond was led from South, and again West hesitated. Fearful of missing out on another trick, she hopped up with the DK, felling partner’s DQ and allowing declarer to make an overtrick in what had been a hopeless contract.

This time, West could have afforded to play low, allowing East’s DQ to score. Even if declarer has the DQ, there is no rush for West to take the DK – it will win later anyway.

“Why do they call him the bridge magician?” Response: “Oh, that’s because he can make his own tricks disappear.” 

NOTE – the second, third and fourth last paragraphs may be removed to save space if necessary. That is, the following may be removed: 

Next, the DJ was led from dummy, taken by East’s DA. The subsequent HQ lead from ruffed by declarer.

Now a diamond was led from South, and again West hesitated. Fearful of missing out on another trick, she hopped up with the DK, felling partner’s DQ and allowing declarer to make an overtrick in what had been a hopeless contract.

This time, West could have afforded to play low, allowing East’s DQ to score. Even if declarer has the DQ, there is no rush for West to take the DK – it will win later anyway.