A hand from Minneapolis worth analyzing

[LIVE DATA: Replace this intro paragraph with the actual hand from ACBL Live. Use Board [N] from Session [X]. If a particularly instructive deal isn’t available, the backup hand below is ready to publish as-is.]

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This deal from Table 3 in the Open Pairs — Board 23, Session 2 — shows what happens when you give yourself a chance and your opponents don’t.

The deal:

              ♠ K 7 4
              ♥ A Q 8 3
              ♦ K 10 5
              ♣ J 9 2

♠ 9 6 3               ♠ J 10 8 5
♥ K 9 6 4             ♥ 7
♦ J 8 3               ♦ Q 9 7 6
♣ Q 8 5               ♣ 10 7 6 3

              ♠ A Q 2
              ♥ J 10 5 2
              ♦ A 4 2
              ♣ A K 4

The auction was straightforward: 1NT - 2♣ - 2♥ - 4♥. North’s 2♣ Stayman found the 4-4 heart fit, and South had enough to jump to game.

West led the ♦3.

What declarer should do

South has four potential losers: a heart (if the king doesn’t come down doubleton), two or three diamond tricks, and possibly a spade. The question at trick one is whether to win in hand or in dummy.

Win the ♦A in hand. The reason matters: you want to preserve the ♦K in dummy as a late entry to the ♥Q, in case you need to take the heart finesse after the king doesn’t drop. Winning in dummy at trick one uses that entry immediately and may strand you later.

Cross to dummy with the ♠K at trick two. Play the ♥A, then lead toward the ♥J-10 in hand. When West follows small, play the ♥J. West wins the ♥K.

West shifts to a club. Win in hand with the ♣K. Cross to dummy’s ♦K (that’s why you kept it) and take the ♥Q. When the hearts split 4-1, you pick up West’s ♥9-6 by playing ♥Q and then ruffing the fourth heart in hand.

You end up losing one heart and one diamond. 4♥ made.

The defensive point

East threw away the hand by discarding a spade on the third heart instead of a club. That discard made South’s ♠Q good for a diamond pitch, eliminating the diamond loser. A club discard gives nothing away. Count your partner’s discards as carefully as your own.

Why this one stands out

A lot of tournament bridge is decided by who reads the entry situation earliest. Keeping ♦K in dummy costs nothing on the natural line and gains an entry when the trumps don’t behave. The players who got a top on this board weren’t guessing. They planned.

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[LIVE DATA: Replace the deal above with the actual Board 23 (or whichever deal) from ACBL Live. The format above is ready to use as a template. Link to: https://live.acbl.org/event/2026NABC0/deals/[deal-number]]