Null Ouvert -- session 2, board 22

[Patrick Phair]

On board 22 in the second session of the September tournament Maxine was Hinterhand at my table and was pushed up to 24 by Vorhand. After exchanging she went Null Ouvert and exposed her hand:

C: Q7
S: J97
H: JT987
D: --

I was Mittelhand (sitting ahead of declarer), and held

C: KJ
S: Q8
H: AQ
D: QT97

I believe the first trick was a heart trick; I thought declarer had led to it but it wasn't her lead. I beat partner's king and switched to spades. Three rounds of spades enabled me to discard CK, but sadly I then had to win the first club with the jack and could then not reach partner's hand for a second club lead.

To defeat the contract we must play one round of clubs, either at once or after just one round of spades. Then I can put partner in with a spade, discard CK on the third spade, and await partner's club return. But partner, holding

C: AT98
S: AKT
H: K
D: KJ

is likely to continue clubs if I lead the jack, assuming that declarer has discarded the king, although with hindsight she could see that three rounds of spades couldn't do any harm.

Does anyone believe they would have defeated the Null Ouvert?

Patrick

[Mike Tobias]

If declarer led the first trick from Hinterhand, that messes things up somewhat, but the normal defence looks OK. F plays all three spades, M discarding CK. A club trick puts M in the lead, and the HQ returns the lead to F for the second and winning club trick.

[John McLeod]

If declarer led the first trick from Hinterhand, that messes things up somewhat, but the normal defence looks OK. F plays all three spades, M discarding CK. A club trick puts M in the lead, and the HQ returns the lead to F for the second and winning club trick.

Yes, so the first mistake was middlehand's opening heart lead. There is no point in this, since middlehand doesn't need a discard. You can recover from it by having an early round of clubs, as Patrick points out.