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An Overtrick

This is the deal in our weekly online training on 12th Feb, 2018.
It seems to a normal game contract in the early stage, however it is quite intriguing in the endplay.

Board 13
Vul: Both
Dealer: North
  North     South
    1♢        2♣*
   2♢*       2NT
   3♣        3NT
   AP

2♣: Game Forcing, do not promise ♣ suit
2♢: Waiting

Lead: ♡5
Trick     North     East     South     West
  1          ♡6         ♡7        ♡T        ♡5
  2          ♣A          ♣2         ♣5         ♣T
  3          ♣3          ♣9         ♣J          ♣4
  4          ♣6          ♣K         ♣Q        ♡2
  5        ♢2         ♢3        ♢K        ♢7
  6        ♡8          ♠3         ♡A        ♡3
  7        ♢5          ♢4         ♣8         ♡9
  8        ♢6          ♠5         ♣7         ♢T

The leading reliefs you. If the distribution of club is normal, the contract looks safe now. You could win 2♠, 2♡, 1♢ and 4♣. You win with the ♡T and drive out ♣K at once. East plays a small ♢ after winning with the ♣K. You win with the ♢K in hand. It is obvious that East holds ♢A, which gives you a chance for an overtrick. If East holds 6♠ and ♢A, he will be squeezed in the endplay. When you draw ♡A and all the ♣, remaining 5 cards, East must keep 3♠ and 2♢ with A. And now he will be throw-in. If East holds 5♠ with Q and forgets to unblock the ♠Q, he could not escape from being strip squeezed at last. You draw ♡A first and East follows a small ♠. When you are sticking to your plan, West discards ♢T unexpectedly. So there are two possibilities now. West keeps 2♠, 2♡ and 1♢ or 3♠ and 2♡. In the first situation, East will be strip squeezed unilaterally. In the second situation, whatever who wins the third ♠, East or West, he will be thrown-in.
Although the overtrick seems not to be important in a whole game, sometimes it plays a significant role in a knock out tournament.

  • The Quarter Finals of 2015 National Mind Sports Games between Hong Kong and Zhejiang. The two teams stand off after 32 boards, but Hong Kong team loses by summing scores all.
  • The semi-finals of 2013 National Senior High School Bridge Championship between Shanghai and Jiangxi. Shanghai team loses 1 IMP respectively in two segments.
  • The Quarter Finals of 2018 National Youth Bridge Championship between Shanghai and Shandong. Shanghai team loses 1 IMP in total in a two-segments knock out game.
I was the member of Shanghai team. This is the despair what I don't want to experience any more. If I did't give up and won one more overtrick in the last deal, we would win. Do not underestimate one overtrick forever.

The full deal
Vul: Both
Dealer: North









Our bidding system takes great advantage in this deal. In other nature system, the bidding might be :
1♢    1♡
1NT   3NT
North might be the declarer. The contract goes down in a second by leading ♠.

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