[WesleyC]

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Playing IMP pairs, West's aggressive 1♥ opening and support re-double seem to have gotten his side to a handy sacrifice.

You lead the ♦A and partner plays the ♦3 (suit preference) as declarer follows with the ♦6.

What next?

[robert2734]

If partner has S Txx or better C Axxxx we can put declarer out of control by making him ruff clubs three times. The other possibility is to cut declarer off from the heart suit. If declarer is 6-2-4-1 without the queen of diamonds, we lead a diamond and make the dummy ruff. then there's no entry to the heart suit.

[rhm]

 robert2734, on 2016-April-04, 21:58, said:

If partner has S Txx or better C Axxxx we can put declarer out of control by making him ruff clubs three times. The other possibility is to cut declarer off from the heart suit. If declarer is 6-2-4-1 without the queen of diamonds, we lead a diamond and make the dummy ruff. then there's no entry to the heart suit.

Your first possibility is sound, but your second suggestion is rather silly.
Would declarer holding six spades and receiving a support double bother to suggest hearts holding a low doubleton there?
Switch to the queen of clubs.
In the unlikely event that declarer has the club ace, hope that partner has both the queen of diamonds and spades.
When you come in with your major suit aces, force the dummy in diamonds.

Rainer Herrmann

[WesleyC]

What if I told you that declarer held a 6331 with the KQJ of spades...

[robert2734]

We're reduced to taking all four aces.

[Fluffy]

 WesleyC, on 2016-April-05, 20:17, said:

What if I told you that declarer held a 6331 with the KQJ of spades...

A low spade is the strongest defence then.

[WesleyC]

 Fluffy, on 2016-April-06, 02:57, said:

A low spade is the strongest defence then.

We have a winner!

The full layout was:

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Which actually makes perfect sense based on the auction. I thought this East was almost certain to have a 6 card spade suit given that they introduced them over 1H, rather than just raising to 2H.

After you switch to the ♠8, declarer might give you a problem by playing on hearts but as long as you duck again, you maintain a tempo advantage while denying declarer an easy hand re-entry and guarantee your side a 5th trick.

[Fluffy]

When Pavlicek run his cardplay problem, he tried once a roblem where defence had to underlead Ax or trump to keep control etc.

When he read answers from users he had to award top score to other defence since Ax underlead wasn't plaing for the most likely lie out.

So he tried again months later. And again same story

When he tried for the third time I laughed, I knew he was trying for the same once more, but I quickly found a likely counter example. Alas! it was only me who found it, and although he noted my response he finally awarded the Ax underlead the top score.

What I mean with all of this is: Ax trump underlead is a play like intra finesse, it works wonderfully on post-mortem, but it is hardly the best play in practice.

[WesleyC]

On this hand though, what else is there to play for?

[Fluffy]

Yes, I think 6331 is more likely than 5341. You can also find scenarios where intra finesse is better than any other line, but they are rare.

[robert2734]

 WesleyC, on 2016-April-06, 10:12, said:

On this hand though, what else is there to play for?

Say we know on the bidding declarer is 6-3-3-1. Can he have the queen of diamonds rather thsn the queen of spades?

[WesleyC]

 robert2734, on 2016-April-07, 15:24, said:

Say we know on the bidding declarer is 6-3-3-1. Can he have the queen of diamonds rather thsn the queen of spades?

Fair point. Although if declarer does have 6331 with the ♦Q and not the ♠Q, you'll never be able to *legitimately* beat the contract by 2 tricks. You can't cross to Partner's hand for a diamond through without creating a hand entry for declarer in clubs and they will eventually be able to take a spade finesse. However, switching to a small spade does make their life easier.

Things get tougher if declarer has a 6340 which leaves us struggling to even take 4 tricks. In this case I think we need partner to have the ♦Q but the small spade at trick 2 should still be enough (although I think most other defenses also work).

[rhm]

 WesleyC, on 2016-April-07, 20:01, said:

Fair point. Although if declarer does have 6331 with the ♦Q and not the ♠Q, you'll never be able to *legitimately* beat the contract by 2 tricks. You can't cross to Partner's hand for a diamond through without creating a hand entry for declarer in clubs and they will eventually be able to take a spade finesse. However, switching to a small spade does make their life easier.

Things get tougher if declarer has a 6340 which leaves us struggling to even take 4 tricks. In this case I think we need partner to have the ♦Q but the small spade at trick 2 should still be enough (although I think most other defenses also work).

Well, if I held the East hand receiving a support RDBL it would never occur to me to bid 3♥.
What was the point of bidding 3♥ first?
Helping the opponents in the bidding and making the defense easier against 4♠ or did East want to suggest a heart lead instead of a spade?

Reasonable players just do not bid like this with a hand holding three small herats and ♠ KQJxxx and no other side suit honor.

Rainer Herrmann