The Master’s Way

E/W Vul
IMPs
Dealer: West
Lead: Q

	pq2 8 7 4 5 3 K Q 10 4 A K 9 7
devil Q 3 Q J 8 7 9 8 5 3 2 5 4		domminae A J 9 6 5 A A 6 Q J 6 3 2
	Maestro K 10 2 K 10 9 6 4 2 J 7 10 8

West Pass Pass 2 Dbl

North 1 Pass Pass Pass

East 1 Dbl Pass Pass

South 2 Pass 3 Pass

 

Today we are doubly fortunate, with lessons from the bidding and the play. North in first seat opens 1C instead of 1D, for reasons that elude me. East makes a pretty ordinary 1S overcall. Now our hero has a problem. He lacks the strength for a 2H free bid, yet, as we know, it is never correct to make a negative double with a five-card suit, let alone a six-bagger. Passing never enters the expert mind. What to do? Make the free bid anyway. West is happy to defend, and North, too, presciently passes this ordinarily forcing bid. East reopens with a double, and West wisely ignores his diamonds in favor of supporting with Qx of spades. 2S probably makes, but our hero won’t settle for -110. The STCP™ who doesn’t have his bid in the first place pulls in his horns: the expert rebids his suit.

West’s double of 3H is not Bones, as some readers may assume. Sure, Gee is declaring, but West has a hand, and has heard an auction, that would prompt a double under normal circumstances. One can argue, of course, that under normal circumstances we would not have heard today’s auction at all.

West leads the SQ, ducked to declarer’s SK. Gee leads the DJ; East wins the ace and cashes two spades, West discarding a club on the second one. Gee ruffs the fourth round of spades with the nine; West overruffs with jack and shifts to a club, won by Gee in dummy as West shows an even count. He leads a low trump, which isn’t optimal but is as good as anything else on the layout. East wins the stiff ace and leads another club. West ruffs and returns a diamond.

Gee leads a trump from dummy, East showing out. Now he hesitates, and hesitates some more, and finally ducks, for -500. The beauty of this play does not lie in the mere fact that he lost the trump count; this can happen to anyone, although to some more than others. It lies in Gee’s absolute assurance that there was more than one trump out. After all, if you had any doubt, since there’s no reason to force the defense to take its “winner” now, wouldn’t you play the HK to be on the safe side? You and I would. That is not the master’s way.