| In the ensuing "comedy of errors," our friend West, takes the opening lead with the Ace of Clubs, and leads the 10 of Spades. North ducks low, and East drops the Deuce, and South wins the Ace (!). South now shifts to a minor suit (Clubs or Diamonds), and West wins the second trick, and continues with the 9 of Spades. North grabs the Jack (!) as East plays his last spot, and South releases the 3. Another exit (by North) is made with a minor suit, and West is on lead for the third time. He tries his last Spade. North plays his 5-spot, and East dumps a middle Heart. South wins the 8, and has no clue about what is going on. He leads a middle Heart, and two Heart tricks later, North discards his Spade King. South later is forced in with a Diamond, and eventually takes the Spade Queen. Absolutely a dreadful performance! Laziness personified! This hand is a classical illustration of the fact that not all butchers are in the meat-cutting business!
Now it is time for an instant replay. Let us assume best play by all sides. West wins a high Club, and leads his Spade 10. North and East duck low, and South holds up the Ace. West persists with his Spade 9. North is desperate, and tries to save his stopper, the Jack, for as long as possible, as he drops the 6. East lets go of his last spot, and South ducks with the 8. Do you see the pattern developing here? South has perfect position, with West on lead. He is also counting (what a concept), and looking for the King. West now clear his Spade suit, and North plays the Jack. East dumps a Heart, as South wins the Ace. Having won the first Heart is a bonus -- but South is after bigger game! He pauses to count. "Everyone followed two Spade leads, making eight Spades played. On the third round, East dropped a Heart; 11 Spades down. The King has not appeared (Spade #12), and my Queen is Spade #13. Thus if I lead my Spade Queen, she will catch the bare King." And thus, South now impales the hanging Spade King with his Queen! This maneuver was named the "spear" play by Bill Nicholls of Westfield, MA, during the glory days of the New England Hearts Players' Association (1971-'81).
--And still some players refuse to make the effort to count to 13!
Passes to the Right (The Spade Suit)
Approximately once in every seven or eight deals, you will be served with a short Spade suit (including the Queen). Such Spade suit holdings might appear as follows ("x" denotes a spot card):
A Q x; K Q x x; K Q x; A Q xx, etc.
Normally, you would pass the Spade Queen and the Ace or King to an opponent on the left or across the table. What happens when you hold one of the aforementioned combinations and the pass is to the right? This is the exception. It is not necessary (in this situation) to pass the Ace or King as well as the Queen. Just pass the Spade Queen! Trust me on this. Your right-hand opponent (RHO) cannot possibly burn you with the Spade Queen unless you are careless. All you have to do is to wait for a Spade lead by anyone, and rise with your Ace or King (unless of course your RHO flies with the lady!). Because the Spade Queen is on the right, you know that you cannot get hit by either of the other two players. Another advantage of keeping the Ace or King of Spades when passing the Queen to the right is that it allows you to unload another card (middle Heart or high Club/Diamond). Knowing the "spear" play and right-hand pass techniques can save a lot of points.
Next month, I will conclude the Spade Management Series with some interesting analysis of unusual Spade combinations.
Advanced Alley
The Endplay
Endplay maneuvers rarely occur in the game of Hearts, as there is no partnership and thus limited opportunity to create "forced" plays. Once in awhile, we see a hand in which a forced endplay occurs. Here is an interesting puzzle for you experts to ponder. Check out this hand. | |
| It is the first hand of the game, and the pass has been completed. The Deuce of Clubs lead is taken by East's King, as South plays the 10 and West drops the 7. East shifts to the Spade 8, drawing the 6, 9, and 7. West now opens the Diamonds with the Jack, and up pops the Queen and King. East plays his last Spade, and West's Jack wins. What now?
Is the game of Hearts waning? If you know of any "live" tournies in your area, please let me know. I will be glad to post them in the next column.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! | |
