What Were Your Clubs?

Playing in the Blues with a partner who is usually sound, I pick up in fourth chair

KQ6

AJ4

AQ108

A87 Partner opens a strong notrump and RHO preempts with 3

. I have a problem. I could make a negative double, hoping partner will pass, but the vulnerability is unfavorable, so we will need to take 11 tricks to beat a slam. That seems unlikely, so I just blast 6NT, which rates to be the field spot.

Partner has to play 6NT, and it is not cold.

	KQ6 AJ4 AQ108 A87

	AJ83 KQ7 K42 Q95

West Me East Partner

Pass 1NT

3 6NT All Pass

Partner tries to get four tricks in diamonds, then cashes all his winners and tries to endplay the 3

bidder in clubs. He is able to cash a heart for down one. Remarkably, this is about an average score. Immediately after the play is done, West and I simultaneously ask my partner "what were your clubs?" We each wanted to know if he had the

9 or not, as there is a great end position available; which it is depends on whether or not he holds that card.

The whole hand actually was

	KQ6 AJ4 AQ108 A87
104 10853 5 KJ10642		9752 962 J9763 3
	AJ83 KQ7 K42 Q95

Declarer should first play three rounds of spades and two rounds of hearts to try to get a count on the hand. If nothing useful comes of that, he can cash the top two diamonds. This time, the preemptor show up with exactly two spades and one diamond. Before cashing the third heart, declarer must cash the last spade, throwing a diamond from dummy, then cash the

A. This brings everyone down to four cards. It's time to guess West's distribution. If he was 2317, then cashing the last heart winner and ducking a club will endplay him for the 12th trick. If he was 2416 and has not discarded a heart, then a club ducked to him will provide a long club trick. If he has discarded a heart, a club ducked to him will endplay him. It's necessary to cash all the non-heart winners before the last heart in order to protect against West's 2416 shape. He is squeezed out of the fourth heart or the club guard only if a high heart is kept to draw the last heart from his hand. If not, he can keep a good heart and the

Kx and never can be endplayed.

The question about the club spots was because of this potential position, which could have arisen if the 3 and 9 were switched:

	— A — A87
— — — KJ106		— 9 J9 9
	— 7 — Q53

When the last heart is cashed, West is one-suit squeezed. If he discards the

6, a club can just be ducked to him. If he discards one of the middle clubs, then the

9 is covered with the

Q, endplaying West to lead from his

K6 to dummy's

A8 for the last two tricks.