[Echognome]

Watching the Dutch Teams on vugraph, there was an interesting suit combination.

You are playing in 3♦ after 1NT has been opened on your left. You have:

Dummy
A9

Declarer
Q876543

How do you play for only loser in trumps?

Adv+ please use hidden text.

[Free]

On the moment Muller had to play the trumps, there was a lot more information available. There were only 7 or 8 HCP left between opps, but ♦K, J, T and small could be anywhere, knowing that LHO had at least 2... Perhaps full NS hands, and the play until the critical moment would be a lot more useful than just suggesting ♦K is with LHO.

[Echognome]

In my opinion, that bit is completely extraneous Frederick. The most important bit is that LHO has 2+ diamonds.

[luke warm]

not that i'm all that advanced, but i'd

Spoiler

lead low to the ace and lead the 9 back... all 4/0 are dead once both follow, so now if rho follows to the 9 you're home by just covering (if not the king) whatever he plays.. if he shows out, oh well

[Trumpace]

LHO has atleast 2 diamonds.

If diamonds are 2-2 almost any play will do.

Running the Q works when RHO has singleton J or T.
Playing low to the 9 works when RHO has singleton K.

So I will run the Q.

[luke warm]

i need to read the posts more carefully, i just looked at the combination not realizing lho has 2+ diamonds (the 1nt opening)... i also think free's comment is not without merit, especially how many hcp rho has shown up with so far, etc...

[Free]

In case you don't know where HCP are:

Spoiler

With 2-2 you always lose just 1 trick. With 4-0 split you always lose at least 2 tricks. So only 3-1's are relevant. Stiff 2 has no winning line: LHO covers whatever you play, and is still behind with KJ or JT high. So only the other 3-1 splits are important. RHO can have K, J or T, chances of every card are the same. So there's twice as much chance RHO has J or T, than he has the K. Conclusion is quite simple then: percentage play is the Q (let it run if not covered) and hope for 2-2 or 3-1 (stiff J or T). Sneaky LHO might want to confuse you by not covering, but that's his only chance if he has KTx or KJx.

[Badmonster]

I think I'd play for the break, lead the ace, 9 to the my hand.

[Chamaco]

EDIT: remove this please

[Echognome]

Just to follow up, Justin, Trumpace, and Frederick all had the correct logic.

The actual suit was:

---

By leading the Q you only have one loser. It seemed counter-intuitive to me at the time (as I would normally feel like leading small to the ace and then back towards the Q). However, once you know LHO has 2+ diamonds, the play is quite logical. Well done guys. (the Dutch declarer got it correct as well)