Deal 34
 
 
 
♠  
 
 
♣  
 
 WEST  NORTH  EAST  SOUTH
1NTpass BID 
 
 
 

The bidding has gone as shown.
Decide what you would say, then click on BID above.
  ♠ A 9
Q 10 6 3
8 5 2
♣ Q J 9 4
 

 
Deal 34
 
 
 
♠  
 
 
♣  
 
 WEST  NORTH  EAST  SOUTH
1NTpass2♣
pass2♠pass BID 
 
 

With 9 points you have just enough to respond.
And with a 4-card Major suit you should use Stayman so you bid 2♣.
Partner duly replies 2♠. What do you say now?
  ♠ A 9
Q 10 6 3
8 5 2
♣ Q J 9 4
 

 
Deal 34
 
 
 
♠ K 8 6 2
7 5
A K 7
♣ A K 6 3
 
 WEST  NORTH  EAST  SOUTH
1NTpass2♣
pass2♠pass2NT
pass3NTpasspass
pass

With 9 points you have just enough to respond.
And with a 4-card Major suit you should use Stayman so you bid 2♣.
Partner duly replies 2♠. What do you say now?

You don't have a 4-4 fit, so you invite the notrump game by bidding 2NT.
Partner raises to 3NT.

Click NEXT to continue.
  ♠ A 9
Q 10 6 3
8 5 2
♣ Q J 9 4
 

 
Deal 34
 
 
 
♠ K 8 6 2
7 5
A K 7
♣ A K 6 3
 
 WEST  NORTH  EAST  SOUTH
1NTpass2♣
pass2♠pass2NT
pass3NTpasspass
pass

The contract would be 3NT played by North.

To make South the declarer click ROTATE .
  ♠ A 9
Q 10 6 3
8 5 2
♣ Q J 9 4
 

 
Deal 34
 
3NT
OL: Q
♠ A 9
Q 10 6 3
8 5 2
♣ Q J 9 4
 
 WEST  NORTH  EAST  SOUTH
1NT
pass2♣pass2♠
pass2NTpass3NT
passpasspass

South plays 3NT and West leads the Q.
Should you win or hold up?

A pretty good argument against holding up could be that they might switch to ♠s. However, say you do in fact hold up and that West does in fact continue s with East following suit.

Make a Plan, then click NEXT .
  ♠ K 8 6 2
7 5
A K 7
♣ A K 6 3
 

 
Deal 34
 
3NT
OL: Q
♠ A 9
Q 10 6 3
8 5 2
♣ Q J 9 4
  Winner List: ♠ = 2 : = 0 : = 2 : ♣ = 4 :: Total = 8

Don't worry any more about the s since there is nothing more you can do.
Instead, worry about where that one more winner is going to come from.
The answer will have to be: from the suit.

 NEXT 
  ♠ K 8 6 2
7 5
A K 7
♣ A K 6 3
 

 
Deal 34
 
3NT
OL: Q
♠ A 9
Q 10 6 3
8 5 2
♣ Q J 9 4
  Winner List: ♠ = 2 : = 0 : = 2 : ♣ = 4 :: Total = 8

Don't worry any more about the s since there is nothing more you can do.
Instead, worry about where that one more winner is going to come from.
The answer will have to be: from the suit.


You might be tempted to take your 4 ♣ tricks right away, but avoid the temptation. The ♣ suit is your convenient transportation back and forth between hands.

You will have to lose at least 2 tricks in order to set up 1 winner, and by the time you do that the defenders will have established at least 1 more trick. What that means is that you cannot afford 3 losers. So how will you play the s?

 NEXT 
  ♠ K 8 6 2
7 5
A K 7
♣ A K 6 3
 

 
Deal 34
 
3NT
OL: Q
♠ A 9
Q 10 6 3
8 5 2
♣ Q J 9 4
  Winner List: ♠ = 2 : = 0 : = 2 : ♣ = 4 :: Total = 8

Don't worry any more about the s since there is nothing more you can do.
Instead, worry about where that one more winner is going to come from.
The answer will have to be: from the suit.

You might be tempted to take your 4 ♣ tricks right away, but avoid the temptation. The ♣ suit is your convenient transportation back and forth between hands.

You will have to lose at least 2 tricks in order to set up 1 winner, and by the time you do that the defenders will have established at least 1 more trick. What that means is that you cannot afford 3 losers. So how will you play the s?


You should play West for the J plus one of the big ones. This is a better chance than playing him for both the  A K. So play a toward dummy and insert the 10 when West plays low. East wins with the A and clears the s.
Play another toward dummy's Q. West can take his K and cash his winner but dummy's Q will be your ninth trick.

Click NEXT to see the full deal.
  ♠ K 8 6 2
7 5
A K 7
♣ A K 6 3
 

 
Deal 34
 
3NT
OL: Q
♠ A 9
Q 10 6 3
8 5 2
♣ Q J 9 4
  There were two distributions which would allow you to make this contract.

West could hold both the A and K, in which case leading toward dummy's Q would be the winning play.

West could hold EITHER  A J x OR  K J x in which case finessing dummy's J would be the winning play. This is the more likely distribution of the two.

Deal 35
♠ J 7 3
K J 9
Q J 10 4
♣ 8 5 2
♠ Q 10 5 4
A 8 4 2
9 6 3
♣ 10 7
  ♠ K 8 6 2
7 5
A K 7
♣ A K 6 3