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To play a live Teams of Four event is a treat; focusing on simply making or breaking the contract, ignoring overtrick possibilities, one of the facets that make this form of scoring the purest.
Bidding
Dealer: North
N/S Game
At many tables, North played in 4S and, following East’s J♠ lead, it is relatively straightforward to discard two club losers on ♦KQ, and ruff a heart in dummy, before drawing trumps. 4S succeeded wherever it was played. At a few other tables, the contract was 3NT by South. West led J♦ and declarer faced a myriad of possibilities. How would you give yourself the best chance of success?
If you have five spade tricks, all is easy but, if not, two extra tricks must be developed — carefully. At one table, declarer won with K♦, laid down A♥ and J♥, and West won and played his third heart. Now, the defence will come to a spade, two hearts and two clubs. Although leading a low club from hand can work, it is not a play on which most would choose to rely.
The best line, at trick 2, is to lay down J♥. If the opponents take K♥, they cannot attack clubs without setting up a trick for you and you still have time to lose a round of spades when the suit splits badly. If J♥ is allowed to win, your second heart trick is secured and you can duck a round of spades to assure your contract.
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