[Trumpace]

Scoring: IMP

Lead: ♠2

---

You open 1♦ in the 2nd seat. Partner bids 1♥, you bid 2♣, partner bids 2♥ and your 2NT closes the auction. (E/W pass throughout).

West leads the ♠2, you play low from dummy, East wins the ♠A and returns the ♠Q.

What is the best line?

(Hopefully, this is not a routine hand, as I am not able to figure out the best play)

[Free]

I like following: take ♠K, unblock ♥K, exit a ♠. I expect ♠ to be 4-3 after the ♠2 lead.

[AthosINT]

hello. I too will play my LHO for 4 ♠. So i d try this way : K♠, K♥, and 7♣ letting it ride (if clubs are 33 no problems, if they are 42, you may take H8 on your left, and H8xx too) . If RHO wins with an honor and lazily plays ♠ i may have a free finesse in ♥ or a trick developped in ♦. I am not sure this is the best line though...what if RHO plays a ♦ after your ♣ play ? still if KQ ♦ are stacked behind, it seems 2NT was doomed.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

my first question: why do we play 2NT,
what about 2D, ... and if your partner
insists on rebidding his 5 card suit, what
about passing 2H?
If I rebid 2NT, I would expect partner to
raise to 3NT.

Now to the play:
Duck spades, if they continue, play a
club and play low from the table.
See what gets returned and plan from
there.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[cnszsun]

We are playing 2NT only, with 6 tricks alreay from top, Supposing ♠ is 4-3 break, i will try to make two extra tricks from ♦. Win ♠K, play small ♦ to 8, then play another ♦ next round after winning return. I think we can handle whatever their return is.

[Trumpace]

P_Marlowe, on Aug 31 2006, 04:36 AM, said:

Hi,

my first question: why do we play 2NT,
what about 2D, ... and if your partner
insists on rebidding his 5 card suit, what
about passing 2H?
If I rebid 2NT, I would expect partner to
raise to 3NT.

It was with a pickup on BBO and this was the first hand... So bidding is probably not very optimal. (nor was the play )

[P_Marlowe]

Trumpace, on Aug 31 2006, 11:36 AM, said:

P_Marlowe, on Aug 31 2006, 04:36 AM, said:

Hi,

my first question: why do we play 2NT,
what about 2D, ... and if your partner
insists on rebidding his 5 card suit, what
about passing 2H?
If I rebid 2NT, I would expect partner to
raise to 3NT.

It was with a pickup on BBO and this was the first hand... So bidding is probably not very optimal. (nor was the play )

The "pickup" explains one
bidding side not both, you may
complain about partners bid, but
should also have a look at your bids.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[SoTired]

similar to cnszsun... but duck 2nd spade (just in case), win 3rd spade, and then lead the small diam. We can't unblock the ♥K, yet, because of entry problems.

Players who lead clubs are not counting tricks. We have 6 tricks (1s+2h+1d+2c=6), we need 8. Clubs will only get us 1 more, but diam will get 2 more. We don't have the entries to set up the hearts.

We are not out of the water, because we have entry problems. After taking the 4th spade (we pitch a club), opps will likely lead a club. We capture an honor with ♣K and play ♦AJ. If LHO wins the 2nd diam and leads another club, we will be forced to take the club finesse. We need 8 tricks, but cannot lose more than 5. Our loser budget is full with 3s+2d.

Bidding: North's 2H requires 6, but with 9 hcp and no minor preference, 2H rather than pass is not that poor a bid.

South's 2N over 2H shows about 16-17 (some would say 15). South is lite, but has conpensating 10's. I would pass 2H, but 2N is not unreasonable.

[Trumpace]

P_Marlowe, on Aug 31 2006, 11:40 AM, said:

Trumpace, on Aug 31 2006, 11:36 AM, said:

P_Marlowe, on Aug 31 2006, 04:36 AM, said:

Hi,

my first question: why do we play 2NT,
what about 2D, ... and if your partner
insists on rebidding his 5 card suit, what
about passing 2H?
If I rebid 2NT, I would expect partner to
raise to 3NT.

It was with a pickup on BBO and this was the first hand... So bidding is probably not very optimal. (nor was the play )

The "pickup" explains one
bidding side not both, you may
complain about partners bid, but
should also have a look at your bids.

With kind regards
Marlowe

I am not complaining about my partner's bidding. Nor am I saying I made the right bids. This post was about the play to 2NT. I gave the bidding to preempt ppl asking for the bidding...

btw, what do you think 2NT would show? A doubleton heart (and some extras)?
Or you think I bid too conservatively? How would you have bid it?

Thanks.

[SoTired]

in 2/1 (or sayc)
1m 1M 2N = 18-19
so a 3rd round 2N by opener = 16-17
14 is too lite so pass 2H is proper bid. With Responder showing 6-10 with 6h, your hand will play terrible in 2N. The only reason you make 2N is because responder had 9 hcp. Give responder something like ♠Jx ♥AJTxxx ♦xx ♣Jxx and 2N is hopeless, but 2H probably makes.

Good Rule to remember: 2N is NEVER a suggestion for a final contract. 2N is either an invitation to game or conventional. You end in 2N only when the invitation to game is rejected.

[pclayton]

Free, on Aug 31 2006, 01:00 AM, said:

I like following: take ♠K, unblock ♥K, exit a ♠. I expect ♠ to be 4-3 after the ♠2 lead.

Same here.

[Codo]

SoTired, on Sep 1 2006, 02:13 AM, said:

similar to cnszsun... but duck 2nd spade (just in case), win 3rd spade, and then lead the small diam. We can't unblock the ♥K, yet, because of entry problems.

Players who lead clubs are not counting tricks. We have 6 tricks (1s+2h+1d+2c=6), we need 8. Clubs will only get us 1 more, but diam will get 2 more. We don't have the entries to set up the hearts.

We are not out of the water, because we have entry problems. After taking the 4th spade (we pitch a club), opps will likely lead a club. We capture an honor with ♣K and play ♦AJ. If LHO wins the 2nd diam and leads another club, we will be forced to take the club finesse. We need 8 tricks, but cannot lose more than 5. Our loser budget is full with 3s+2d.

Bidding: North's 2H requires 6, but with 9 hcp and no minor preference, 2H rather than pass is not that poor a bid.

South's 2N over 2H shows about 16-17 (some would say 15). South is lite, but has conpensating 10's. I would pass 2H, but 2N is not unreasonable.

agreed. Opps must defend well after they are in with a diamond to have a chance to beat.

[lowerline]

First, I duck spades.

1. They continue spades
I play a low diamond to the table. They can take their last spade trick. If they switch clubs I take in hand and play ♦AJ. I now have 8 tricks (1 spade, 2 hearts, 3 diamonds, 2 clubs).

2. They switch to clubs
I take in hand, cash the king of hearts and play a low diamond to the table.
a. If they now play spades, I loose only if the spades are 5-2 and the spade length has an honor third in diamonds.
b. If they continue clubs, I take the diamond finesse. If it looses and a heart is returned I need the heart finesse to win the contract. Of course there is also the (unlikely) possibility that LHO can now cash ♣QJ... Still, it feels like a good line.

Steven

[Trumpace]

SoTired, on Aug 31 2006, 01:16 PM, said:

in 2/1 (or sayc)
1m 1M 2N = 18-19
so a 3rd round 2N by opener = 16-17
14 is too lite so pass 2H is proper bid. With Responder showing 6-10 with 6h, your hand will play terrible in 2N. The only reason you make 2N is because responder had 9 hcp. Give responder something like ♠Jx ♥AJTxxx ♦xx ♣Jxx and 2N is hopeless, but 2H probably makes.

Good Rule to remember: 2N is NEVER a suggestion for a final contract. 2N is either an invitation to game or conventional. You end in 2N only when the invitation to game is rejected.

Thanks for the explanation!