[Winstonm]

Scoring: IMP

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The auction:

1D-1S-P-P
X-2H-2N-P
3N-P-4C-P
4D-P-5D-P
P-P

After this somewhat confusing auction, you lead the Ace of spades. Partner contributes the J. You continue with the K and partner plays the 10. Where do you go from here?

[ArcLight]

I put declares shape at either 2=3=5=3 or 2=4=5=2

So far 20 HCP have been accounted for and pard had 1. Does declarer really have 20? I wouldn't count on pard for the heart ace.


If we lead the Club 10, we spare pards J. Even if declarer gets a 4th round discard on the clubs, he will still have a heart loser.

The one led not to make is a heart. Then declarer can ruff the third heart and make.

Pard may also have 4 dimes and a slow diamond winner. I wont help declarer finesse it, even though he can.

Lead the Club 10. I dont think a heart discard will help declarer.

[Winstonm]

Declarer's hand was:

xx, AJ10, AKJ1098, Ax.

Two plays work and two don't. Another high spade, although setting up dummy's 9 for a pitch, won't help declarer as he has to take the diamond finesse and doesn't have the entries to finesse and pitch. Likewise, a club switch will do the same.

What doesn't work is a diamond switch or the seemingly "normal" and safe play of a further low spade.

A low spade allows either dummy to win cheaply and give a pitch or forces partner to ruff from the Qxx, obviating the diamond guess and allowing declarer to draw trumps and execute a simple heart/spade squeeze against LHO by running all the diamonds followed by the three top clubs. If RHO fail to ruff, this somewhat marks him with the Qxx and allows a first round finesse as declarer is in dummy with the spade.

[Free]

Hmmm, history of the hand came too soon...

I'd play high ♠, since I guess it won't help declarer. We have to go passive on this one. I don't want partner to ruff a low ♠, I don't want to give declarer a free finesse, so it's either a ♣ or a high ♠. After some thinking, I guess both are equally good, since ♣ can hardly give away a trick, and so can't a high ♠.