| About W-D's and frustrations (3rd and final part) |
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Sometimes we can unmask a W-D, but more often he forces us to choose between two possible layouts, one of which is the actual layout and the other a fake — but a fake that might be the actual layout... And when we are forced to choose, we sometimes choose wrongly. If you can't beat them, join them: we have to become W-D's ourselves! An experienced W-D has no problems handling this deal from match point scoring (so every trick counts: an overtrick may decide whether you score a bottom or a top):
1 Strong (at least 16 HCP), artificial (Precision Club) West leads the ♣J to dummy's ♣Q; East contributing the ♣2 (discouraging) and South the ♣3.
After the given beginning — ♣J to the ♣Q, ♥4 to the ♥8 and ♥Q (!), club to the ♣K — declarer is very likely to repeat the finesse for the ♥10. After all by way of that play he is 'certain' to set up two heart tricks. So he plays a heart to the ♥9 and this time West wins with the ♥10 and delivers the death blow: he plays back his last heart (he has to do so now!) to East's hoped for* ♥A. EW really cannot take any more than three tricks (three tricks already constitute a small miracle). West's reward is a traveller crowded with 660- and 690-scores for NS. (* If East turns out to have had ♥K52 and South ♥A98, all of West's efforts have been in vain: EW score a dull average.) Now see what happens if West were to win the second trick 'normally' with the ♥10. With dummy back on lead with the ♣K, declarer will then, not having any choice, play a heart to the ♥K. To his own surprise he will subsequently make the rest of the tricks (just see: four diamonds — after all, he is finally in his hand to take that finesse —, four spades, a heart and three clubs), scoring +690 (twelve tricks). So in that case East would do better to go up with the ♥A at the second heart trick... Of course it is impossible for West to foresee all of this. But a real W-D knows that winning a trick with an unnecessary high card often has a tremendous effect, that's what it's all about. That's why he does it — now and then. The second good thing for W-D West to come out of this is that South will never trust him again. Next time, when the W-D plays perfectly normal, South may see ghosts... The last deal, again from match point play:
1 Lebensohl: no four-card hearts, no (!) spade guard; so if South has no spade guard either, he cannot pass
If South, eager for an overtrick, again crosses to dummy and repeats the heart finesse, he signs his own death warrant: West wins and plays a spade. By now dummy is out of trumps, so South will have to ruff in hand — meaning he is losing trump control, which becomes clear to him upon playing the ♥AK. South is now out of trumps, while West still has one. And West has a spade left as well: down one. If West had won the first heart trick with the ♥Q, declarer would simply have made the remainder of the tricks: dummy's ♥10 would have protected him against a fourth round of spades. By the way, that was the reason that declarer didn't advance dummy's ♥10 when finessing in hearts for the first time. Declarer's second trump finesse is not totally unreasonable at match point play. Still, after winning the fifth trick with the ♥J, there is a lot to say for declarer laying down the ♥AK and cashing the minor suit tricks. This is a fairly safe way of making the contract (only if East would turn out to have five hearts to the ♥Q a second heart finesse would be necessary). And 4♥ just made will probably score rather well. After all, more South players will open 1NT. And good West players will keep silent then. Yes, West's 2♠ overcall was a bad idea. If West passes, North will simply raise to 3NT. West thus scores an easy +100. So our West perhaps defended like a W-D but he didn't bid as one: real W-D's pass over 1NT if they have a solid five-card suit or longer, since they are to lead against a notrump contract... This last deal is from my personal experience. And yes, I was West. When declarer at trick five finessed for the ♥Q, I ducked like a fully grown W-D. Alas, declarer unimaginatively continued by playing the ♥AK, making ten tricks and his contract. |
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