[Echognome]

Scoring: IMP

(1NT)* - Dbl - (2♦) - 3♣
(3♦) - 4♣ - All Pass

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*12-14

You are better off doubling them in 3♦, but unfortunately you get to play in 4♣.

West cashes the Ace and King of diamonds, East playing the 2 then the 4. West then shifts to ♥6. Take it from there.

[arrows]

seems east has 5 diamonds and west 3. and west probably has the ace of spades.
if this is the case, no need to guess queen of hearts. Not sure, but I am going
to play as the following:

win Ace of heart, trump to hand, ruff diamond and draw all the trumps, on the
last trump:

♠ K96
♥ KJ

♠ Q85
♥ 7
♣ 8

West must keep 3 spades, (otherwise dummy pitch ♥J and will drop west's ace
doublton in spades), declarer pitches a spade on table, and east get squeezed if
he has J and 10 in spades. Suppose east reduces his cards to ♠JT ♥ Qx,
declarer can continue with a spade, if west play ace, unblock the king; if west
ducks, win the king and cash ♥K before playing the last spade.

[Robert]

Hi arrows

Nice squeeze 'if' the cards are exactly as you have placed them.

Give East the spade Ace and he is cashing his Ace and a diamond.

Give West A10x or AJx or AJ10 or Axx of spades and your play to the King leaves you with two spade losers. You also have no entry to take the 'winning' heart hook unless you can now concede two spade tricks to West(for down one)

If East happens to hold(very likely when West holds Ace spades and heart Queen), the J10x(Jx or Jxx) of spades, you cannot throw West into the lead because he can return his last spade to partner(who might well cash a diamond)

Regards,
Robert

[ArcLight]

Why commit yourself too soon?
Try a discovery play.

East MUST have exactly 2,3, or 4 HCP if Wests NT range is accurate, and I would make that assumption.

Also, east bid 2 Diamonds Vulnerable without good shape 3=4=5=1 shape, as a rescue bid, why? With 2 HCP ( a pair of J) why not pass and let the opps buy the contract. With a weak NT, wont pard redouble for takeout of South leaves in the penalty double? Why did East bid? If East has the heart Q, and a jack or 2, then pass. I think its more likely that he has the Ace of Spades.


Win the heart, pull trumps ending in hand.
Who had the Club J? If it was East, he can have at most the heart Q and/or the Spade J. In this case, you have a choice:
a) play for the squeeze as described by Arrows
risk the heart finesse.

I think your chances are poor.


If West had the Club J, then there is room for East to hold the Spade A.
Lead up to Dummys K.
If it loses to Easts Ace, then the heart finesse is working and teh contract will make.
If Dummy ducks, you have a nasty guess. Do you lead back to your Q, or go back to hand and take the heart finesse? OR more likely East has the heart Q, and made a bad 2 Diamond bid and you are now going down


Since East bid when Vulnerable, with 4HCP and little shape (?3=4=5=1?), I think he has the Spade A