[Phil]

You and your partner like to bid:

---

Lead: ♥J (standard), low, A, low

♣8 now hits the table.

Over to you.

[rhm]

This depends a little how good your opponents are. They have not forced the dummy.

Against most I would go after the diamonds and I am short of entries to dummy.
Therefor I would win immediately

T2: ♣A
T2: ♦A
T3: ♦ruffed with the ♠9
T4: ♠J to the ♠A
T5: ♦ruff with the ♠10
T6: ♠ to the 8

If ♦ are 3-3 and I managed to loose only one trump trick I am home.
If ♦ are 4-2 you require trumps to be 2-2 and the same defender must hold both spade honors.

Playing on ♣ could be right. The ♣8 is hard to read. In this case you would of course play the ♣9 and if an honor appears finesse the ♣J next time and otherwise play for ♣ 3-3.

Rainer Herrmann

[inquiry]

Phil, on 2011-February-13, 21:29, said:

You and your partner like to bid:

---

Lead: ♥J (standard), low, A, low

♣8 now hits the table.

Over to you.

There seems to be several lines to consider.

A) Set up clubs (clubs need to be 3-3 or you find East with the honor-ten or honor-ten-small-small, or both top clubs and you play the jack
Set up diamonds (diamonds can be 3-3 or some 4-2's)

First, you can not survive KQx(x) with East, as you have to lose the heart, a club, and two spades. Second, since you can't afford two spade losers, you have to decide how to handle the spade suit (finesse twice? play for 2-2, play for 3-1 with stiff honor?).

You are missing six diamonds, and six clubs. So trying to figure out which one to try to set up is a toss-up, except for the good quality of your clubs compared the barren nature of diamonds.

If diamonds, clubs and spades split evenly they will be 2=5=3=3 each, and pretty much any line works. There is no advantage of going after clubs or going after diamonds. So that hand cancels out.

When spades split 3-1, you need either stiff honor or West with the three to two honors. You can even survive West having all four spades -- but this requires clubs 3-3 with the QTx or KTx with East.

Therefore, I would try to combine chances. I would insert the ♣9 at trick two. If West wins the ten. I will unblock spades and play West for doubleton or tripleton spade honor, including a finesse (so he could have KQx) and play to set up diamonds. If West wins a top club honor, I would plan to take a club finesse to the jack later, planning on ruffing club in dummy.

[Phil]

If you couldn't already tell, the opponents were pretty bad and I am quite sure tapping the dummy didn't even occur to them.

Believe it or not, you can survive with ♠KQx offside. Here was the entire hand:

---

The winning line is (unblocking spades along the way): ♣A, ♦A, ♦ ruff, ♥ ruff, ♦ ruff, pass a spade to East. A spade to the Ace does not work, since East can refuse to ruff a diamond and the defense just waits for the last three tricks. Ducking the club lead doesn't work either. Also note that if RHO wins the spade and plays a 2nd club, you can ruff the 3rd club with a middle spade and stiff survive if he is 2=6=3=2 without the ♠KQ doubleton.

If you play in this fashion and you get a spade honor from LHO, you are at the crossroads. Should you play East for 3=6=3=1 and win the spade and stay off trump? Of do you play RHO for 2=6=3=2 and play trump, trump?

By the way, making this only gains you another 4 IMPs. Afraid of diamond ruffs, teammates made the excellent decision to try 3N on the 10 card heart fit.

[rhm]

Phil, on 2011-February-16, 15:50, said:

If you couldn't already tell, the opponents were pretty bad and I am quite sure tapping the dummy didn't even occur to them.

Believe it or not, you can survive with ♠KQx offside. Here was the entire hand:

---

The winning line is (unblocking spades along the way): ♣A, ♦A, ♦ ruff, ♥ ruff, ♦ ruff, pass a spade to East. A spade to the Ace does not work, since East can refuse to ruff a diamond and the defense just waits for the last three tricks. Ducking the club lead doesn't work either. Also note that if RHO wins the spade and plays a 2nd club, you can ruff the 3rd club with a middle spade and stiff survive if he is 2=6=3=2 without the ♠KQ doubleton.

If you play in this fashion and you get a spade honor from LHO, you are at the crossroads. Should you play East for 3=6=3=1 and win the spade and stay off trump? Of do you play RHO for 2=6=3=2 and play trump, trump?

By the way, making this only gains you another 4 IMPs. Afraid of diamond ruffs, teammates made the excellent decision to try 3N on the 10 card heart fit.

A truly silly line, apparently found with the help of a double dummy solver, which happens to work against this precise and unlikely layout.
No Bridge player would find and then not reject this line of play in favor of ones, which work against many more likely layouts.

Rainer Herrmann

[rhm]

inquiry, on 2011-February-15, 23:13, said:

There seems to be several lines to consider.

Therefore, I would try to combine chances. I would insert the ♣9 at trick two. If West wins the ten. I will unblock spades and play West for doubleton or tripleton spade honor, including a finesse (so he could have KQx) and play to set up diamonds. If West wins a top club honor, I would plan to take a club finesse to the jack later, planning on ruffing club in dummy.

Your analysis does not hold water. The defense is not their to help declarer.
If you duck a ♣, West will switch back to ♥, taking out a vital entry from dummy.
Trying to establish ♦ will work now only if ♦ are 3-3 and ♠ 2-2.
(The defense will play a third round of ♥ when they come in with a trump)
If you duck a ♣ you are better of to try your luck in ♣. I see no way you can combine your chances in the minors.
Since East is very likely from the bidding and play to hold at least one trump honor I consider the double trump finesse misguided

Rainer Herrmann

[Phil]

rhm, on 2011-February-17, 02:40, said:

A truly silly line, apparently found with the help of a double dummy solver, which happens to work against this precise and unlikely layout.

Rainer Herrmann

Usual RHM...

Should my partner who spotted this line instantly be flattered?

[rhm]

Phil, on 2011-February-17, 11:22, said:

Usual RHM...

Should my partner who spotted this line instantly be flattered?

give him my compliments

[whereagles]

I smell a singleton in the club 8, so I'd try ace of clubs, club.