Overbidding Grand Slams and getting odds
by Neil Kimelman on
November 25th, 2008
| North | |
| ♠ | A942 |
| ♥ | A942 |
| ♦ | 9 |
| ♣ | AQ104 |
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| South | |
| ♠ | KQ3 |
| ♥ | KQ1082 |
| ♦ | AK |
| ♣ | 753 |
The contract is 7 ♥. Don’t ask. A small ♦ is lead. Hearts are 3-1. How do you play?
see below…
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It is ironic that I wrote a book entitled Improve Your Bidding Judgment, and my first post is about an overbid grand. Oh well…
There are two lines to consider:
1. Pull trumps, Play three rounds of spades ending in your hand. If spades don’t break, double hook clubs; or
2) Pull trumps, Hook the Q ♣ , and assuming the J does not fall, cash ace♣ and then try to pick up spades or hope for a spade club squeeze when LHO has 4 spades and 4 clubs, or RHO has 4+ spades and Jxxx of clubs).
Line 2 worked at the table, as RHO had J10xx in spades and Jxxx in clubs. Does anyone want to calculate the exact odds of the two lines?
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Fascinating deal! Line 1 can be improved: if LHO shows up with 4 spades, finesse the club queen and run trumps — LHO will be squeezed if he has KJx or Kxxx in clubs.
Another line of interest is to draw trumps and play the KQ of spades. If no jack or ten falls on the right, take line 1 or 2. But if RHO shows up with an honour, finesse the queen of clubs and cash the ace. Now play off the winners and hope that LHO is squeezed. If he is not, try for 4 spade tricks, by finessing the 9 in absence of indications to the contrary. At first I thought this line is best, but then I noticed that a clever RHO might play a spade honour from J10xx, which would deflect you from the winning line if LHO has both club honours.