[awm]

Scoring: IMP

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Playing in a team match, you have reached the somewhat sub-optimal contract of 7♠ in the south. The bidding is better off left unmentioned, but opponents passed throughout.

The opening lead is the ♥J (standard leads). Plan the play.

This actually happened at our teammates table in the Long Beach Regional, and yes, they made the contract.

[Codo]

The obvious line is to win 4 spade 1 Heart, 5 diamonds and ace of club and a club ruff.
I need a 3-2 spade break and diamonds 3-2 ( or a stiff Jack). If I try to ruff the second club, I have entry problems, so I don´t try it.

[david_c]

I'll play for RHO to have king of hearts doubleton, and need trumps to split and diamonds to produce five tricks as well. The line is to play small from dummy at trick one, winning with the ace, then draw trumps, run the diamonds (pitching hearts) and then ruff a heart. Hopefully this brings down the king, and a club ruff is the entry back to dummy to make the queen.

[awm]

There's a better line that no one's found so far.

I should mention that Codo's line is pretty good for 6♠, but his trick total comes to only 12.

In fact this hand is virtually cold if suits are breaking reasonably well......

[david_c]

Oh, I can see something neat here now. After drawing trumps and running diamonds you reach this position with the lead in dummy:

♠ T
♥ Q8
♦ -
♣ 5

♠ 7
♥ -
♦ -
♣ A98

Now if LHO started with JT9(x) in hearts, both opponents have been squeezed. RHO has to keep Kx in hearts otherwise his king can be ruffed out, and LHO has to keep two hearts otherwise leading the queen sets up the eight. So they can have at most two clubs each, and you can set up a club trick.

Only problem is you have to guess whether RHO has ♥Kx ♣HH or ♥K ♣HHx remaining.

[han]

Very nice line David.

Codo, notice that 4 + 1 + 5 + 1 + 1 = 12.