Hi all
Here’s a 3NT from the Dombo tournament last Thursday. I guess it has grown to one of the biggest teams tournaments in The Netherlands, 69 teams in total. Again it was a very successful event, every year I’m happy I’m part of the organisation.
We kicked off very nicely with 20, 21 and 19. But then termites started eating at our foundations. I cannot explain what happened but we drifted into a downward spiral.
My RHO opens 2NT, LHO uses a Puppet Stayman variety doubled by René (leaddirecting). I can’t remember what East answered (but it did show at least one Major). West shows no interest in East’s Major and bids 3NT. I lead a .
East takes the lead with the Ace and plays a via my Jack, dummy’s Queen to René’s King. We play three rounds of
(declarer throwing a
and a
) and then René’s
9 is captured by dummy’s Ten. I can spare a
. Declarer enters his hand with a
to his Queen and now puts a knife on my throat with the
Ace.
Choose now! What do you discard?
If declarer is: 3-4-4-2
then you have to keep guard on the .
But if declarer is: 4-4-3-2
then you can dump your useless . The setting trick will be your Jack of
.
I had no idea. I could see five together with dummy and seven
. I estimated East having four
a bit less likely than holding four
. So I discarded a small
. Declarer easily scored up nine tricks, for this was the full deal:
Could I have done better?