ACBL30 – Declarer: Loser on a Loser Ward Trumbull

Aug 6, 2006

Page 1 of 10

Prelude

Before you can learn the declarer’s strategy of playing a “Loser on a Loser”, you have to be able to know/recognize what a loser is. That is

accomplished by always using the ARCH checklist at the opening lead

when you are the declarer. That is, the “C” in ARCH stands for count

your losers and count your winners, especially losers.

Definition

Loser on a Loser (LOAL) is defined as the act of playing a card that must be lost on a losing trick in some other suit.

1. To Allow a Safe Ruff to Produce a Trick

   Contract – 4 spades

   ARCH Losers – 3 diamonds and 1 club

   S – 4 3 2

   H – A J 6 5 2

   D – 5 3

   C – A 7 4

   S – 6 5 S – 8 7

   H – Q 3 H – K 10 8 7 4

   D – K Q J 9 8 6 D – A 2

   C – Q 10 8 C – J 5 3 2

   S – A K Q J 10 9

   H -- 9

   D – 10 7 4

   C -- K 9 6

   West leads the diamond king. East overtakes with the ace and

   continues the suit. West wins and plays a third diamond. South

   realizes that East will be able to overruff dummy. He therefore plays a

   LOAL by discarding a club from dummy. Thus declarer can later ruff a

   club in dummy safely.

   ACBL30 – Declarer: Loser on a Loser Aug 6, 2006

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2. To Allow a Safe Re-entry

   Contract – 3 hearts

   ARCH Losers – 2 spades, 1 heart, 1 diamond and 1 club

   S – 5 4 3 2

   H – A 3

   D – 6 5

   C – A 7 6 4 2

   S – A K 10 S – Q J 9 6

   H – Q 5 H – J 8 6

   D – Q 10 7 4 2 D – J 9 8

   C – K J 10 C – Q 5 3

   S – 8 7

   H – K 10 9 7 4 2

   D – A K 3

   C – 9 8

   West leads three rounds of spades, and declarer ruffs. Two rounds

   of diamonds are played and the third round ruffed in dummy. After

   cashing the heart ace, declarer needs an entry to his hand to continue

   pulling trump. If he tries to play the club ace and then another, East will

   take the trick and give his partner a spade ruff with the heart queen.

   East will later get his heart jack to set the contract. Instead, after

   cashing the club ace, dummy leads the fourth spade and declarer

   discards the 9 of clubs (LOAL). Now the contract can’t be set.

   ACBL30 – Declarer: Loser on a Loser Aug 6, 2006

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3. To Prevent a Later Overruff Threat

   Contract – 4 spades

   ARCH Losers – 1 spade, 1 diamond and 2 clubs

   S – void

   H – A K Q 7

   D – 10 7 6 5 3

   C – J 7 4 3

   S – J 4 S – A 5 3 2

   H – J 9 4 H – 10 8 6 5

   D – K Q J 4 D – 9 8

   C – K 10 8 2 C – A 9 5

   S – K Q 10 9 8 7 6

   H – 3 2

   D – A 2

   C – Q 6

   West leads the king of diamonds, which declarer wins. Next he

   plays off dummy’s the top three hearts, discarding his 2 of diamonds.

   At trick five declarer’s options are:

   1. Lead a diamond and ruff it. When he leads the spade king, East

   will take it with the ace and lead the fourth heart. This will promote West’s jack of spades.

   1. Lead a club which East will win with the ace. East can then lead

   the fourth heart to promote West’s jack of spades.

   3. Lead dummy’s last heart (the 7) and ruff it. If he ruffs low, West

   will overruff. If he ruffs high, West’s jack of spades is promoted.

   4. Lead dummy’s last heart (the 7) and discard a club. This LOAL

   will prevent West from ever getting the jack of spades.

   ACBL30 – Declarer: Loser on a Loser Aug 6, 2006

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4. To Prevent a Specific Opponent from Gaining the Lead

   Contract – 3 spades

   ARCH Losers – 1 spade, 1 diamond and 2 clubs

   S – K J

   H – A K 4

   D – A 7 4 3 2

   C – J 10 6

   S – A 6 4 2 S – 7

   H – void H – J 10 9 8 7 6 5

   D – J 10 9 5 D – K Q

   C – A K Q 8 3 C – 5 4 2

   S – Q 10 9 8 5 3

   H – Q 3 2

   D – 8 6

   C – 9 7

   East preempted 3 hearts and West leads the ace of clubs and

   (erroneously) continues with the king and queen. Declarer can’t let

   East gets in or he will lead a heart for West to ruff. So instead of

   ruffing the queen of clubs, he discards the 6 of diamonds (LOAL).

   Now even though East has the king and queen of diamonds, he can

   never get in.

   ACBL30 – Declarer: Loser on a Loser Aug 6, 2006

   Page 5 of 10

5. To Establish One or More Tricks in the Suit Played

   Contract – 6 clubs

   ARCH Losers – 1 spade and 1 diamond

   S – 5 4 3

   H – K Q 4

   D – 10 7 6 5

   C – Q 6 2

   S – S –

   H – H –

   D – D –

   C – C –

   S – A K J

   H – void

   D – A 3

   C – A K J 10 9 8 7 3

   West leads the king of diamonds, which declarer wins with the

   ace. He next plays the ace of clubs and follows with the club 7 to

   dummy’s queen. Then he leads the king of hearts and discards the

   3 of diamonds (LOAL). He later will play the 3 of clubs to dummy’s

   6 and discard his jack of spades on the queen of hearts.

   ACBL30 – Declarer: Loser on a Loser Aug 6, 2006

   Page 6 of 10

6. To Help Establish a Side Suit

   Contract – 4 spades

   ARCH Losers – 1 heart, 1 diamond and 2 clubs

   S – K Q 3

   H – J 9 7

   D – A 7 6 3 2

   C – 6 4

   S – 10 S – J 9

   H – A K 10 8 5 H – Q 6 4 3

   D – 10 5 D – Q J 9

   C – A Q 10 9 2 C – J 8 7 3

   S – A 8 7 6 5 4 2

   H – 2

   D – K 8 4

   C – K 5

   West leads the ace of hearts and follows with the king. For

   declarer to make the contract, he must establish dummy’s

   diamond suit. If he ruffs the king and pulls trump in two rounds,

   he must give up the lead to East’s queen of diamonds. East could

   then lead a club and defeat the contract. Instead, declarer can

   discard a low diamond from his hand on the heart king (LOAL).

   West is still on lead and can’t hurt declarer. Eventually, declarer

   will:

   1. pull two rounds of trump with his ace and king

   2. pull two rounds of diamonds with the king and ace

   3. ruff a diamond

   4. cross to dummy’s queen of spades and cash the last two

   diamonds

   ACBL30 – Declarer: Loser on a Loser Aug 6, 2006

   Page 7 of 10

7. To Avoid a Forced Ruff

   Contract – 4 spades (Don’t ask for the bidding.)

   ARCH Losers – 1 heart and 2 diamonds

   S – 10 8 5

   H – 9 8 7

   D – 10 7 5

   C – Q 10 8 2

   S – S –

   H – H –

   D – D –

   C – C –

   S – A K Q J

   H – 3

   D – A 4 3

   C – A K J 9 5

   West leads the ace and king of hearts. If declarer ruffs with the

   jack of spades, he may eventually have to lose a spade. Instead,

   he discards the 3 of diamonds (LOAL). If West (or East) next plays

   the queen of hearts, declarer must again discard a diamond

   (LOAL). Now if another heart is led, it can be ruffed with dummy’s

   10 of spades. If not, he can win the switch to diamonds or clubs with

   the ace in his hand, pull trump and run the clubs.

   ACBL30 – Declarer: Loser on a Loser Aug 6, 2006

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8. To Create an End Play by Creating a Throw-in Card

   Contract – 4 spades

   ARCH Losers – 1 spade and 3 clubs

   S – K J 9 8 3

   H – A 5

   D – 3 2

   C – 8 5 3 2

   S – A 4 S – 2

   H – K Q 10 9 H – J 8 7 4 3 2

   D – J 10 8 4 D – 7 6 5

   C – A Q 7 C – J 10 9

   S – Q 10 7 6 5

   H – 6

   D – A K Q 9

   C – K 6 4

   West leads the king of hearts and declarer wins with the ace.

   Declarer clears the suit by ruffing dummy’s 5 of hearts. Next he

   leads trump which West wins and leads right back. On his top 3

   diamonds he can play 2 diamonds and a club from dummy, but

   he still has 3 opposite 3 in clubs. On the fourth diamond (the 9) he

   discards a second club from dummy. West will be in with the jack of

   diamonds and will be end played.

   1. If he leads a heart, declarer gets a ruff and a slough.

   2. If he leads a club (A, Q or 7), declarer will get his king of

   clubs.

   ACBL30 – Declarer: Loser on a Loser Aug 6, 2006

   Page 9 of 10

9. To Execute an End Play by Forcing an Opponent to Remain on Lead

   Contract – 5 clubs

   ARCH Losers – 2 spades, 1 heart and 1 diamond

   S – A 3 2

   H – A J

   D – A 7 6

   C – 10 9 6 4 3

   S – 4 S – K Q J 9 8 7

   H – K Q 10 8 7 3 2 H – 9 6

   D – J 10 D – Q 9 5 3 2

   C – J 8 2 C – void

   S – 10 6 5

   H – 5 4

   D – K 8 4

   C – A K Q 7 5

   After West’s 3 hearts preempt, declarer ends up in 5 clubs.

   West leads the 4 of spades (appears to be a singleton). Declarer

   wins with the ace and pulls 3 rounds of trump. Next he cashes the

   ace and king of diamonds. Finally he throws West in by playing the

   ace and jack of hearts. West is end played and must lead a heart.

   However, declarer does not ruff. Instead he discards a spade from

   the dummy and a diamond from his hand (double LOAL). West is

   still on lead with another heart. Now declarer ruffs in his hand and

   discards the last spade from dummy. Dummy can now ruff

   declarer’s last two spades.

   NOTE: West could have defeated the contract by playing low to

   dummy’s jack of hearts, but who’d of thunk it.

   ACBL30 – Declarer: Loser on a Loser Aug 6, 2006

   Page 10 of 10

10. To Rectify the Count for a Squeeze

Contract – 6 hearts

ARCH Losers – 1 spade and 1 club

S – A K 3

H – 8 4 3 2

D – Q 4 2

C – 6 5 3

S – Q 10 7 2 S – J 9 5

H – 6 H – 7

D – A K 10 8 7 6 3 D – J 9 5

C – 7 C – Q J 10 9 8 4

S – 8 6 4

H – A K Q J 10 9 5

D – void

C – A K 2

West leads the ace of diamonds. The contract looks doomed.

However, all is not lost. Declarer ducks the first trick by discarding

a spade from his hand (LOAL). West cannot cash the king of

diamonds; so he leads the 6 of hearts. Declarer now runs the heart

suit. Everyone has 5 cards left.

S – A K 3

D – Q 4

S – Q 10 7 2 S – J 9

D – K D –

C – C – Q J 10

S – 8 6

C – A K 2

When declarer now cashes the ace and king of clubs, West must

discard twice. Since dummy discards after West, dummy’s cards

will be good. It’s LOAL followed by a squeeze play.