| Happy July! Let's start with the "June Challenge Hand." Natty Bumppo, author of The Columbus Book of Euchre, submitted this problem. The dealer in a typical game is dealt:
Ace, King of Clubs; King, 9 of Diamonds; and a low Heart or Spade (King, Queen, 10 or 9).
The 10 of Clubs is turned, and there are three passes to the dealer. The other hands are unknown, and the score is immaterial. What should the dealer do?
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| Well, this is a very devilish problem! There were 314 entries for this contest. 255 persons (81%) opted to pick up the tenspot, and 59 persons (19%) decided to turn it down. In this case, the minority opinion is right!! However, there were many extensive analyses which supported picking up the 10 of Clubs, based on the premise that "three trumps and two voids is a solid bet". Unfortunately, these three trumps are somewhat less than ideal, and the side suit is a real dog!
And the winner who correctly submitted the solution is "SionD"; he wins a special Bicycle (US Playing Card Co.) Double Deck Custom Euchre Set.
He was one of several individuals to recognize this as a "two headed" monster - a question which had no "safe" answer! His entry was the first one received and his analysis was very detailed. Good job SionD!
Here’s the solution to the problem above:
A. Turn the 10 of trumps down. The dealer (we shall call him South) knows where three of the seven possible Clubs are. Two are in his hand and one is the turned-up card. The question of whether to pick up the 10 hinges on how South perceives the remaining trump are split. Of the fifteen possible splits on which ALL trump are in play, nine of them include one of the other players having three or more Clubs. These, we shall ignore, because worst-case scenario of the remaining trump in these splits would be Left - Queen - 9, which is enough to order up South. So, dealer should assume the split is one of the remaining six (possibilities). These splits are: 2-2-0; 2-0-2, 0-2-2, 2-1-1, 1-2-1, and 1-1-2. South can also safely assume that none of the other three players has both Bowers, as they surely would have ordered up the 10. South should in this case, assume that North has no more than one Bower or that they are split between East and West.
Should South pick up the 10? The problem posed suggests that the score is immaterial. I disagree. Since South has no better than a 50-50 chance of making the contract if he picks up the 10, he should do so only if it is very early in the game, or if he is losing badly and is desperate for points. But in a close game near the end, where a Euchre could end the game, he should pass. In any case, dealer is going to have to get help from partner. Since any contract that can only be fulfilled by "counting on your partner for a trick" is a dangerous one, in most cases, dealer should pass.
B. Dealer decides to pick up the 10 of Clubs and reach for the contract. What is best line of play? The first thing to do is drop the 10 on West's Ace of Hearts. Never give away a trick - they are too hard to come by. But wait, you say - what if the split is such that both opponents have two Clubs, dealer will be left with only two trump and will not be able to duck the Bowers? In that case, the contract is most likely doomed, as only partner with the other two off-suit Aces can save the day, so dealer should just forget it. Dealer is now sitting on the A-K of Clubs, and K-9 of Diamonds, with one trick home. He can go one of several ways. He can throw out the King of Diamonds, hoping for it to ride, or for partner to take it with the Ace or a trump. If this does not happen, the contract is most likely sunk, as his remaining trump can take only one trick at best, and the 9 of Diamonds is a hopeless long shot to take a trick. However, if dealer leads the 9, partner may still take it with the Ace, or use a trump - but if not, the dealer is left in a slightly better situation with the King. Leading with either trump is a bad idea, because unless East and West bump heads with the Bowers, or partner collects the Left with the Right, dealer will end up losing both trump, and not getting a trick out of either. Best line of play then, is to trump the heart Ace with the 10, and lead the 9 of Diamonds, and hope…
Whew! If you were able to figure it out, then very well done!
Have a nice summer! | |
