[FrancesHinden]

It took my partner about 8 minutes (and that's a long time at the table) to decide what card to play at trick 3, and about as long to explain his logic to me during the break - but I was convinced. What do you think?

Scoring: IMP

1♣ 1♥ P P
x 2♥ P P
x P 3♣ P
3♠ P 4♥ P
4♠ P P P

---

(4♥ = choice of games. EW play strong jump overcalls)

The defence start with the A, K, Q of hearts. They play attitude signals, and RHO discouraged (playing upwards), but you've noticed so far that they often don't bother signalling, so although you think hearts are 6-3 you aren't at all certain.

What's your plan?

[whereagles]

Ruff with 9. If overrufed then spades probably break 3-2 afterwards. Then you'll only need a bit of luck with clubs. If not overruffed, you're in good shape.

[SoTired]

assuming the heart is not overruffed. Cash 3s, DAK and CAK. If spades break 33 or clubs 22, you make. If the 4th spade is in RHO, the 3rd club in LHO and hearts are 6-3, if RHO does not ruff the 2nd club, you lead your last spade, endplaying RHO in diam.

[Halo]

Looks like there are more layouts where we gain by discarding in dummy and ruffing in hand.

We don't mind West (should have said East! - EDIT) having the 13th spade when clubs break, and we can handle a lot of 3-1 club layouts where an overruff of the 9 of spades would have beaten us. There will still potentially be some interesting decisions to take about finessing the 9 of spades for example, but this feels the right place to start.

[toothbrush]

Very interesting game indeed! There's a lot of information, but very difficult to decide what to do...

I think it's more likely that ♥ are 7-2. Opps play strong jump overcalls, so LHO should be weak, so RHO should have at least 5hcp. Why didn't he bid 2♥??
Besides, why does LHO play a third round of ♥, when he thinks it's in double void? This is probably a triple void
Another important fact: when ♣ are 4-0, you have no chance of making.
♠ could be 3-3, but very unlikely.

I ruff with ♠9, probably overruffed, and I overruff with ♠A. Now I play first ♣A. When LHO follows with an honour, I'm planning to hook the other honour (restricted choice). If not, then LHO should have 2 clubs to have a chance of making (I think LHO would have switched to a minor with 3-7-(21) instead of playing in triple coup, so i give him rather 2♠ than 3 --> then there's a certain trump loser)

If ♣Q or J falls, I will play ♠K and Q and take the ♣ hook, hoping LHO had 2-7-3-1.
If ♣Q or J doesn't fall, I will play ♠Q. When LHO follows with J/T/8 I have a huge problem: take the finesse in ♠, hoping LHO had 1-7-3-2 OR cash ♠, hoping he had 2-7-2-2...

I could be totally wrong with my analysis, but I'm really interested at the full distribution. I believe your partner had good reasons to think 8 minutes on this game

[inquiry]

Something odd happened here. West did not make a preemptive jump overcall despite having (surely) at least six hearts to AKQ, and maybe 7. True they are vulnerable. He has at most the four missing jacks and the club queen in addition. So the thoughts on this hand is why didn't he preempt over 1♣ *yes he is vul, but he was wiling to go to 2♥ anyway,*

The second puzzle is why did WEST give us a ruff and sluff. True, it doesn't help us one bit, but we might have Ax of diamonds and better clubs. I can not imagine he doesn't realize that his play is giving up a ruff and sluff. I hate it when good opponents are nice to me.

I think WEST did not preempt becasue he was too flat (aka 6322). I think the ruff and sluff is an effort to promote a spade card in his hand, probably the spade jack, but perhaps the ten. So I will pitch a club here, planning on ruffing in my hand, and if EAST ruffs high enough to force me to ruff with ACE or KING (great play), I will hope that WEST has the spade eight so it has to be with the ten or jack, and I will finessee the nine of spades. I will also ignore restricted choice should the Queen of JACK of clubs fall from WEST on the first round of clubs.

[whereagles]

inquiry, on Jun 13 2006, 03:09 PM, said:

I think WEST did not preempt becasue he was too flat (aka 6322).

I wouldn't jump to that conclusion. Some people like to walk the dog.. happens rather often.

[Halo]

Did Inquiry say exactly what I did without attributing it?

[inquiry]

Halo, on Jun 13 2006, 01:55 PM, said:

Did Inquiry say exactly what I did without attributing it?

I am not so sure.. you didn't ruff in dummy.. ok, neither did inquiry (hehe, i mean me). Does that mean I said the same thing as you? Did you discuss the question of the lack of a preempt? Did you discuss the issue of why give up a ruff and sluff? If you did, I don't see it...

Halo earlier today said:

Looks like there are more layouts where we gain by discarding in dummy and ruffing in hand.

We don't mind West (should have said East! - EDIT) having the 13th spade when clubs break, and we can handle a lot of 3-1 club layouts where an overruff of the 9 of spades would have beaten us. There will still potentially be some interesting decisions to take about finessing the 9 of spades for example, but this feels the right place to start.

It is true both of us plan to make use of the ♠9 on some lines of play. But unlike you, I am not worrying about 3-1 club at this point in time. And as far as "attributing to you" whatever your answer was. There it sits for all to see. In general, when I am solving a problem like this, I don't read through all the other answers (and neither do a lot of other people) and so you will see a lot of similar answers. If yours is the one correct answer, fear not, it was posted well in advance than anyone else choosing not to ruff in dummy (should there be many others to choose to do so).

[luke warm]

i rarely read the answers first, and you'd thing by now i'd have learned my lesson... but i'm too stubborn i guess