[Echognome]

Scoring: IMP

1♠ - 2NT*
3NT** - All Pass

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*Limit Raise or Better
**Choice of Games (Shows a strong NT type hand)

For better or worse, you are playing in 3NT rather than 4♠. I'm not so interested in the choice of games as the hand revolves around the spade suit.

You receive the ♣6 lead to the 5, J, and your A. You run the ♦9 which loses to East's K. East returns the ♣3 to his partner's 2 and dummy's K. You then run off three diamond tricks, with West discarding three hearts.

How do you play the spades?

[paulg]

Assuming normal carding, the clubs are either 5-4 or 7-2.

I'll play for 5-4 as West might have bid with 7 clubs, so West seems to have 5 clubs and 1 diamond, East 4 clubs and 4 diamonds.

So the odds appear to be 7:5 on West holding the ♠Q, so I'd start with the ♠K and run the ♠J.

Paul

[Wackojack]

Assuming opps play standard carding west started with ♣Qxxxx. There is no indication about west's failure to overcall and we can discount west starting with ♥AQxxx. So that leaves west having:

♥A not Q: no indication about spades
♥Q not A: for west to discard like this he must have ♠Q
No heart picture: no indication about spades

So play west to have ♠Q

[Free]

I give LHO 5♣-1♦ and RHO 4♣-4♦. So it seems clear LHO has some ♠s... The odds say: cash ♠A and run the J. But since you ask, and you know this, I'll play ♠J to the K (unblocking), and run ♠9.

[SoTired]

west has shown up with 5c, 1d, and 3h, east with 4c and 4d
if west had 5h and 5c, west would likely lead the major rather than the minor. So i give west 3-4 hearts, which leaves west with 3-4 spades.
cash ♠K and run ♠J

[Echognome]

Well, most of you get the same consolation prize I got. Free is the only one who sussed out the "problem" nature of the problem. I also reasoned that it was likely that clubs were 5-4 and that by vacant spaces I should play West for the ♠Q. Spades were indeed 3-2, but East had Qx.

Other table the declarer played in 4♠ and also needed to pick up the ♠Q. She had less information (tackling them to begin with). She laid down the ♠K then played the ♠J. She then tanked for a min or two and went up with the A. Ah well. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.