Chapter 4
Life in Notrump
© 2006 - Marty Bergen
Page 49
Life in Notrump
Too
many players become nervous when considering playing a notrump
contract. They remember the devastating feeling of going down in
3NT when the opponents gleefully cashed the first five tricks.
As
unpleasant as those memories may be, try not to overreact.
Marty Sez: “Notrump contracts are usually easier to play
than suit contracts.”
A
notrump contract is essentially a race. Each side hopes to
finish first by establishing its suit and cashing enough tricks
to “win” the hand.
Playing a suit contract involves more considerations. In
addition to deciding whether you should work on a short suit or
a long suit, you always have to resolve the usually crucial but
often subtle question:
Should you or should you not draw trumps first?
When
playing a notrump contract:
•
Count your guaranteed, immediate winners.
• Figure out how many more tricks you need.
• Select a suit that will provide those tricks.
• Make sure you have the necessary entries.
• Decide how to cope with the suit led.
On
your mark, get set, go.
© 2006 - Marty Bergen
Page 50
Life in Notrump
Sometimes, the Eight is Enough
Contract: 3NT
Lead:
 Q
|
|
North
K
5
 9
7 5 4 2
A J 2
J 5 4 |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
South
8
6 4
A
10
K 8 4 3
A K Q 9 |
|
|
West North
East South
--
-- --
1NT
Pass
2*
Pass 2
Pass
2NT
Pass
3NT
All Pass
2*
=
transfer to hearts
North
responded with a Jacoby Transfer and then invited game by
bidding 2NT. You’re concerned about spades, but like your two
honors in partner’s heart suit and your very strong club suit.
You also like the fact that your 16 HCP include no jacks!
Because jacks are the most over-rated honors, you should look
favorably at worthwhile hands that contain no jacks. Based
on a lot more pluses than minuses, I agree with your 3NT bid.
© 2006- Marty Bergen
Page 51
Life in Notrump
Unfortunately, when West leads the
Q
and dummy hits the table, you don’t like your chances.
With no confidence,
you try
the
K,
but East wins his ace and returns the
2.
Hopefully, this card represents some good news. It suggests that
East started with four spades, which means that you’re not down
yet.
On the third round, you
discard dummy’s
2.
On the fourth round of spades, you discard dummy’s 4 and your
own
10.
East wins the fourth spade and leads a heart to your
now-singleton ace.
Five tricks have been
played, and having lost the first four, you need every one of
the remaining eight tricks. Unfortunately, you have only six
sure winners – two diamonds and four clubs. Your only hope to
make the contract is to win two additional diamond tricks.
You
lead the
3
and West plays the 9. You finesse the
J
and hold your breath. It wins, so you cash the
A
and West plays the
Q.
Very interesting. That leaves the following position:
2
K
8
When
you lead the 2 from dummy, East follows with the 7. You finesse
the 8, and, as expected, West shows out. Yessss! You now claim
your
K
and
four club
winners and score up your game.
© 2006- Marty Bergen
Page 52
Life in Notrump
Here
is the entire deal:
Contract: 3NT
Lead:
Q
|
|
North
K
5
9
7 5 4 2
A J 2
J 5 4 |
|
|
| |
West
Q
J 10 3
K
J 8
Q 9
8 7 6 3 |
|
East
A
9 7 2
Q
6 3
10 7 6 5
10 2 |
|
| |
|
South
8
6 4
A
10
K 8 4 3
A K Q 9 |
|
|
Very
important defensive note:
You successfully finessed
dummy’s
J
and then cashed the ace.
Suppose West had been dealt
the
Q
10 9. At that point, any West worth his salt would drop
the
queen
– the card that he
was known to hold.
That
mandatory falsecard would create the opportunity for a
deep finesse – and result in you (or I) going down several
tricks.
© 2006- Marty Bergen
Page 53
Life in Notrump
Entries – the Name of the Game
Contract: 3NT
Lead:
7 |
|
North
K
J 5
J
10 8 7 3
6 4 3
8 3 |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
South
A
9 6
Q
9
A K J 5
A K 4 2 |
|
|
|
West North
East South
--
-- --
2NT
Pass
3*
Pass 2
Pass 3NT
All
Pass
3*
=
transfer to hearts
Question 1: After West’s fourth-best spade lead, how many
spade tricks do you have?
Question 2: What suit (or suits) do you plan to work on to
make your contract?
Question 3: What card will you use to win the opening lead?
© 2006- Marty Bergen
Page 54
Life in Notrump
Question 1: After West’s fourth-best lead, how many spade
tricks do you have?
Answer: Time to apply the Rule of 11. Subtracting 7 from 11
equals 4. This tells you that there are a total of four cards
above the 7 between yourself, dummy, and East. You have two
cards: the ace and 9. Dummy has two higher cards, the king and
jack. Therefore, East has no spades above the 7. Winning three
spade tricks will be easy.
Question 2: What suit (or suits) do you plan to work on to
make your contract?
Answer: Hearts is the only suit you need to work on.
Counting 3 spade tricks, you have 7 winners off the top. You
need only 2 additional tricks. Fortunately, you have all the
heart intermediates, so you should be able to win 3 heart tricks
while losing only 2.
Question 3: What card will you use to win the opening lead?
Answer: To ensure two spade entries to North’s hand
for later, you must now take your
A.
When you lead the
Q,
East should duck, but you’ll continue hearts and drive out a
heart honor. East will win and lead the
J,
but
you’ll win
and take the marked spade finesse. Then it’s easy to knock
out East’s last heart honor. Once you do, dummy will have 2
heart winners and a
guaranteed entry in the
K,
and you’ll
win 10
tricks.
© 2006 - Marty Bergen
Page 55
Life in Notrump
If you
had won the first trick with the
9,
you’d still have the
A,
so you’d have only one spade entry to the board.
If East is smart enough to duck when you lead the
Q,
he will cut you off from dummy’s hearts and limit you to one
heart trick.
Here
is the entire deal:
Contract: 3NT
Lead:
7 |
|
North
K
J 5
J
10 8 7 3
6 4 3
8 3 |
|
|
| |
West
Q
10 8 7
5
4
Q 9 8 7
Q 7 5 |
|
East
4
3 2
A
K 6 2
10 2
J 10 9 6 |
|
| |
|
South
A
9 6
Q
9
A K J 5
A K 4 2 |
|
|
Marty
Sez: Sometimes, it is not correct to win a trick as
cheaply as possible.
© 2006 - Marty Bergen
Page 56
Life in Notrump
Waste
Not, Want Not
Declarer should lead an honor for a finesse only when he will be
well-placed if it is covered.
Contract: 3NT
Lead:
Q |
|
North
A
J
3 2
7 3 2
9 7 6 4 3 2 |
|
|
| |
West
Q
10 8 7
8
7 6 5
J 6
Q J 5 |
|
East
K
9 8 7
Q
9
10 9 8 5 4
K 10 |
|
| |
|
South
6
5 3 2
A
K 10 4
A K Q
A 8 |
|
|
Declarer has seven tricks in top cards, and his only hope is to
win two additional heart tricks. But if he leads the
J
at trick two, and East covers with the queen, South can win only
the ace, king, and 10.
Because he is missing the
9,
South must not waste the
J.
Instead, he should lead dummy’s
2
and finesse the 10. After that wins, he can cash the
A.
When the
Q
falls, he can lead the
4
to the
J,
and get back to his hand to cash the
K.
Chapter 5:
Maximizing Your Entries
..................................
57
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