[RunemPard]

This is how we got there..all that matters is you make.

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[rhm]

Your best chance seems to be to establish spades (assuming West follows to the first trump).
East is unlikely to have five cards in spades.
So assume West has 5 spades.
If West has at least three diamonds you are in good shape since diamonds will either break or West will succumb to a spade diamond squeeze.
South wins the trump switch and plays ace of spade and ruffs a spade high.
Club to dummy and a second spade ruff high.
Assume East shows out on the first or second spade ruff.
Your continuation now depends on whether East is more likely to hold three or more diamonds.
You will know East's spade length, whether he followed on the second trump and you know he has at least five cards in hearts.
If East has a singleton in spades and two or three trumps or a singleton in clubs with a doubleton in spades without the queen I would probably take a first round finesse in diamonds.
Otherwise I play a diamond to the queen and run trumps.
I will go down if East is 2♠=5♥=4♦=2♣ unless East the ♠Q or West ♦J9
I will also go down If East has a singleton spade (or a doubleton spade (without the queen and a singleton club) and West the ♦J.

Rainer Herrmann

[mikeh]

Suggestion: it is conventional for all declarer play problems to be presented with S as declarer. This has been so since before the use of NESW as designations. I have books from as early as 1902 which lay out play hands with declarer holding the bottom hand in the diagram.

Not all of us are as ancient as I am, but I think almost all of us instinctively look at these problems as if declarer were S and there should be no problem re-orienting hands to cater to this convention.

[mikeh]

As to the play: win the club 9. There is some merit to testing diamonds. After all if they are 5-1 then the odds of a good spade break are reduced. However, I am a simple man, so I cash the spade A, ruff a spade high, cross in trump and ruff a spade high. I cross in diamonds and draw trump.

I am home if spades were 4-3, or if the spade Q dropped stiff or doubleton.

If not, I am still home if diamonds are 3-3 or if the same hand (presumably West) holds long spades and long diamonds (and if the diamond J were stiff).

Note that this line makes despite a 4-1 club break and the obvious (to me) alternate lines tend to run into difficulty on those breaks.

[TWO4BRIDGE]

mikeh, on 2014-September-29, 17:01, said:

Note that this line makes despite a 4-1 club break and the obvious (to me) alternate lines tend to run into difficulty on those breaks.

♥A and another led .
How does it make ( setting up the ♠ route ) if ♣ are 4-1 and you have to ruff 2nd ♥ in South hand ? Don't you need 3-2 ♣ split ?

[manudude03]

TWO4BRIDGE, on 2014-September-29, 17:49, said:

♥A and another led .
How does it make ( setting up the ♠ route ) if ♣ are 4-1 and you have to ruff 2nd ♥ in South hand ? Don't you need 3-2 ♣ split ?

It was a club led at trick 2. You can survive clubs 4-1 in that case.

[nige1]

RunemPard, on 2014-September-29, 15:35, said:

This is how we got there..all that matters is you make.

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Using the ♦ entry early might be safer. i.e. ♣9, ♠A, ruff a ♠ with ♣T, ♦Q, ruff a ♠ with ♣A, ♣KQ. If ♣ are 4-1, simply cash the last trump. If ♣ arer 3-2, then ♦T tto ♦K, ruff a ♥, and cash the last trump If ♠j is good cash it, otherwise, hope ♦s behave.

[rhm]

nige1, on 2014-September-29, 19:29, said:

Using the ♦ entry early might be safer. i.e. ♣9, ♠A, ruff a ♠ with ♣T, ♦Q, ruff a ♠ with ♣A, ♣KQ. If ♣ are 4-1, simply cash the last trump. If ♣ arer 3-2, then ♦T tto ♦K, ruff a ♥, and cash the last trump If ♠j is good cash it, otherwise, hope ♦s behave.

If East discards a diamond on the first spade ruff your line has some merit, since East is unlikely to hold 5 diamonds and discard a diamond early in preference to a heart.
This wins when East has 2♠=6♥=1♦=4♣ or 1♠=6♥=2♦=4♣, but it gives up on the diamond finesse, for example when East minors are switched.
Anyway my guess is that with those distributions East would have made a weak jump overcall.

Overall, unless East discards a diamond, which requires him to hold a singleton spade, I do not think an early diamond is safer.
It reduces your chances.

Rainer Herrmann