[Al_U_Card]

Scoring: MP

p-p-3♥-all pass

♣T is led

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Declarer plays low from dummy and wins with the ace as North encourages with a low ♣. Declarer plays a low ♥ to the 9QJ. A low ♥ from dummy receives an even ♠ (discouraging) from North, a low ♥ from declarer and is won by South with the ♥T. South shifts to the ♦3, dummy plays low....how do you continue and what is your plan for the defense?

btw, is anyone doubling in the pass-out seat?

[mike777]

Yes I double in pass out seat, this is the Minimum Vul hand for it.
I return a D now. Interesting partner did not cash the Ace of hearts or return a club despite your requesting a club not once but twice. East has bid 3h vul? with only Kxxxxx of hearts? Partner could play a high D if they want a club ruff, funny hand.

All I can think of is to trust partner and follow the defense they suggest so I return a D.

[inquiry]

I would have opened north's hand, so I would not be faced with this problem exactly. IF it had gone (P)-1C-(3H)-P-(P), now partner might really be expecting the reopening double. Sigh... probably a worse position.

I would double.

As for play, it would help to know partners leads. Low ♦ count, attitude, what diamond did declarer play when I won the ACE? Declarer is marked with club ACE, the heart King. Partner has the ♠ACE. IF he was looking for a ♣ ruff, he would have cashed the ♠ACE first and then lead a high ♦. Also, I think he has the master trump, and has no interest in ruffing a club. So herre you want to manage to get your tricks. You should score 2/3♦ if this was fourth best (partner might have KQxx), and your spade to go along with your partners two natural trump tricks (although partner might have KT9 instead of hoped for AT9. We have declarer as 7H, 3/4D (depending upon the meaning of the ♦3, at least one club (maybe only one club, since didn't try the Queen from dummy if he had doubleton). So he rates to be...

1-7-4-1 or 2-7-3-1. If he has two clubs there will be time to play clubs later. If he has three clubs, partner would defend differently. So, win ♦Ace and return a count diamond or count ♠, so we can cash out our winners in the correct order. I suspect we will get 2H, 1S, 2D, but if there is a third diamond in there, great.

I will play on ♦ just in case declearer does have three clubs (0-7-3-3) rather htna playing on ♠ (although a spade would work here as dummy is entryless.

So, win ♦Ace return count diamond.

[mike777]

Ben did I miss something? How can declarer have 7 hearts?

Dummy has 3 hearts?
We have one heart?
Partner has played the 9 of h at trick 2 and won Ten of hearts at trick 3?

[inquiry]

mike777, on Oct 14 2005, 04:40 PM, said:

Ben did I miss something? How can declarer have 7 hearts?

Dummy has 3 hearts?
We have one heart?
Partner has played the 9 of h at trick 2 and won Ten of hearts at trick 3?

Hihger math... :-)... forgot three trumps in dummy when typing my reply... I will now need to change my defense. Now we have LHO with ?-6-3/4-?. If partner can time his grabbing the ♠ACE, we should win 1♠, 2♥, 2♦ for still donw one. Problem is we might make 3♣ (+110: 4♣, 1♥, 3♦, 1♠) and this is matchpoints. IF we have three quick diamonds (AKQ), then we will make 4D tricks, for +130 versus down two in hearts for +100. IT is beginning to look grim (But I did double above, didn't I)?

Ok, so we need 2♠ tricks, how are we going to get that. Now, a passive diamond is no good. I need to return a low spade, and partner must not win the ACE, hopefully declearer spade spots are such that after my low spade and partners spot to force King. When partner wins ♥ACE, he will have to underlead the spade ace and declearer might go wrong by playing low from dummy. This way, we can score 3♦. 2♠, 2♥ for down three when we can make 3♣.

Don't you just hate matchpoints?

[Trpltrbl]

I would reopen with a double.

I asked for ♣ back but he didn't, so I am sure he has a reason for that.
The small ♦ is asking for ♦ back, so I will.

GBB

[Winstonm]

There's no rush to grab the diamond - diamond tricks aren't going away but the club tricks might. Partner looks like he's out of clubs as he didn't play a second, and declarer did bid 3 Vul. hearts on K10xxxx. I'm catering to declarer holding the KQx of diamonds and the stiff Ace of spades (it is a third seat MP bid, after all) and I'm ducking the diamond.

I've been around long enough to run into these 16 point third seat preempts before.

Winston

[Trpltrbl]

And how do you plan on defeating it ?
And if pd didn't want ♦ back he would have played a higher one.

GBB

[Trpltrbl]

Winstonm, on Oct 15 2005, 09:02 AM, said:

There's no rush to grab the diamond - diamond tricks aren't going away but the club tricks might. Partner looks like he's out of clubs as he didn't play a second, and declarer did bid 3 Vul. hearts on K10xxxx. I'm catering to declarer holding the KQx of diamonds and the stiff Ace of spades (it is a third seat MP bid, after all) and I'm ducking the diamond.

I've been around long enough to run into these 16 point third seat preempts before.

Winston

So you duck the ♦, declarer wins, according to you.
Plays the stiff Ace of ♠ and plays the ♥ for your pd, who plays back a♦ again. You duck again ?
Or you win and declarer plays the K under your Ace. Now what ?
Seems you seem to thinking to much about how to endplay yourself. Them -170 start hurting after a while in MP's.

GBB

[Winstonm]

Trpltrbl, on Oct 15 2005, 09:09 AM, said:

And how do you plan on defeating it ?
And if pd didn't want ♦ back he would have played a higher one.

GBB 

Who said I'm beating this? I'm trying to hold it to 3. If I win the Ace and declarer unblocks, and I return a diamond, he cashes the spade Ace, crosses in diamonds and pitches losing clubs on the spades and makes 4. If I duck the diamond, I'll get endplayed, but at least I can cash the club king for -140.

[Blofeld]

I'm not convinced that that's best, Winstonm. If declarer has the hand you're playing him for then most people are going to be in game on this one, so your defence won't really matter (if it makes, you get a top ; if it goes down, you get a bottom). Therefore you should be defending on the assumption that declarer has a holding where the result does matter.

I suppose that I'm sending a ♦ back as partner seems enthusiastic about that, but I have no great conviction about doing so.

I would definitely have reopened with a double.

[Al_U_Card]

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The failure to reopen with a double didn't help the situation at the table. I am not aware of our S partial in the books but want to get 200 and not let a D trick go away on a needless H ruff or a S pitch.

Since he bid 3H and only had 6 to the K, I feared the worst in the minors with a couple or 3 S waiting to get S tricks and a pitch....after the play of the C ace, the Heart layout became clear and holding on to the Trump control seemed wise. The low D said to return D and forget about C but pard dutifully returnd a low club after winning the D ace so that one trick went away and plus 100 was pretty poor....should I cash the H before playing D?

[mike777]

hehehe

If this is advanced/expert bidding by both sides and defense.... .
There is a great old book out with this title, I hope they get a chance to read it.

[Trpltrbl]

Al_U_Card, on Oct 17 2005, 01:40 PM, said:

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The failure to reopen with a double didn't help the situation at the table. I am not aware of our S partial in the books but want to get 200 and not let a D trick go away on a needless H ruff or a S pitch.

Since he bid 3H and only had 6 to the K, I feared the worst in the minors with a couple or 3 S waiting to get S tricks and a pitch....after the play of the C ace, the Heart layout became clear and holding on to the Trump control seemed wise. The low D said to return D and forget about C but pard dutifully returnd a low club after winning the D ace so that one trick went away and plus 100 was pretty poor....should I cash the H before playing D?

Sounds like the problem is that either you don't trust your pd or you think you know it better.
Either one not so good, he asked for ♣ back, why not play it ?
I don't get it. Your pd must have lots of patience

GBB