[FrancesHinden]

You have a slightly bizarre auction which I need to reproduce in all its glory or you won't get the right inferences. Blame the fact that it's pivot teams and partner was still in previous-partner-mode.

Scoring: Total Points

1♠ 2♠ x P
P 3♣ P P
x P 3♠ P
4♣ P 4♠ P
P 5♣ P P 5♦
all pass

---

1♠ 5-card majors, strong NT
2♠ = hearts and another 5-5+
x = interest in defending, sets up forcing pass at the 3-level (he forgot)
pass of 3♣ = forcing, denies a take-out double of clubs
next x = take-out, prepared to defend opposite a penalty double

As South you are a bit confused about what partner can possibly have, but arrive in a fairly sane contract at the end of it.

You get the king of hearts lead. Plan the play. Carefully.

[paulg]

I'm a simple soul, so I duck the heart. I win the continuation and play ♦A followed by the ♦10. Eventually I am going to play East for 3-4 spades including the ♠Q (or West stiff ♠Q).

Paul

[whereagles]

The above line seems good. I'll decide what to do with spades once I get the diamonds cleared out.

[Codo]

I duck a Heart, win the second trick and play a spade to the king. If lho is chicane, I will always loose a spade trick, so no big risk.
If lho follows, I try to finesse in Diamonds and see what happens. If the finesse loose, I will try to draw trumps and later play the spade ten, trying to finesse again.

If rho ruffs the first spade, I win his return and play Ace of Diamond.
If rho refues to ruff, I finesse again in diamonds.

[FrancesHinden]

cardsharp, on Sep 4 2006, 12:01 PM, said:

I'm a simple soul, so I duck the heart. I win the continuation and play ♦A followed by the ♦10. Eventually I am going to play East for 3-4 spades including the ♠Q (or West stiff ♠Q).

Paul

I said to be careful.
Here's a hint for those following this line:
What are you playing from dummy on the 10 of diamonds?
Why does it matter?

[paulg]

I must admit that I was playing the♦10 just on general unblocking principles.

If diamonds are 4-0, then presumably RHO has 4 and it does not matter what I do as I will play the spades to be 2-2. If RHO wins the diamond and leads a club, then I can draw trumps and hopefully run the spades. If RHO ducks, then I can play the ♦3 overtaking in dummy - if he ducks again I play on spades as I have a trump left and he only has the ♦K. If he wins at any point and returns a heart I am still relying on the spades but have control of the hand.

If diamonds are 3-1 with LHO holding three, if he ducks then I can play on spades immediately by leading small to the king and have a trump reentry (to both hands) after he ruffs eventually (assuming spades 0-4 or 1-3).

If he wins the King and leads a heart, then I will draw the last trump and play for spades 0-4 and start with the ♠10 keeping the ♠K as my final entry - seems inconceivable that LHO can be 1-4-3-5.

If diamonds are 1-3 with RHO holding three, then if he ducks I can safely cash the ♠K and continue with a spade finesse. If spades are 0-4 I can actually afford to ruff the spades out, ruff a heart and play winners.

If he wins the king and leads a heart, then I can ruff and safely play to the ♠K. If spades are 0-4 then I finesse and go back drawing the last trump.

So I am clearly missing something!

Paul

[whereagles]

Well, you just have to be careful to have enough entries if finesse off an eventual Q9xx from East.

[mikeh]

I may be missing something as well.

If ♦ are 4-0, I am reduced to guessing whether LHO is 2=5=0=6 or 1=5=0=7....I will be driving out the ♦ K (unless for some strange reason he ducks twice) and then hoping to run the ♠...stay tuned as to how I play the suit .... I suspect, based on the 5♣ call, that I will go for 1=3 split.

If RHO has the Kxx ♦, and wins the first ♦ to lead a ♥, I ruff and DO NOT pull trump.. I cross to the ♠K, to guard against LHO having 0=5=1=7, and now I can hook the ♠ and return to dummy in trump, while pulling RHO's last trump.

Obviously, if RHO ducks the ♦10, I leave trump alone, and play the ♠ to the K and back.... he can take his trump King whenever he wants it... I still have complete control.


If LHO is 0=6=0=7 or 0=5=0=8, I'm not making, unless I peeked, but that is unlikely.... (both that he has that shape and that I peeked)

Sorry, Frances, it is the middle of a long, hot afternoon, in the office on a holiday Monday when I should be golfing or taking the dogs to the beach... but I don't see the concern about which ♦ to play on the 10. Not doubt you will elucidate the issue, and I will be red-faced

[paulg]

After a little, and I mean little, more thought I'd be playing small on the ♦10 (this was the original plan) as I will need the top diamonds to draw trumps later.

Still clearly going to be wrong

p

[FrancesHinden]

No, none of you is completely wrong. It's just that you do have to be slightly careful. The more detailed write-ups show that you've appreciated this.

If the 10 of diamonds is a winner, LHO showing out, you can't afford to play a third round. If the 10 of diamonds is taken and they play a heart, you can't afford to play a third trump. It's the whole not-drawing-trumps bit I was trying to emphasize.

When I was thinking about this hand, I was worried that LHO was 2506, and that after playing ace and a diamond I would be left guessing the location of the SQ when I could just have taken a diamond finesse instead. So I thought of playing a spade first followed by a diamond finesse. Of course, if the spade is ruffed I am back guessing if LHO started with a 0526 with Kx of diamonds or 0517 so in a way I might just be exchanging a problem in spades for one in diamonds.

However, if trumps are 4-0 and spades are 4-0 (LHO being 0508) which is very unlikely but not impossible, mikeh says he's off, but not if you start with a spade to the king. That holds, now the Q of diamonds holds (or is covered and you play a second round), spade to the Jack, ace of spades, spade ruff, jack of diamonds... and you've made 12 tricks!

So although I'm in a minority of 1 I'm sticking with a spade to the king at trick 3.

It doesn't matter on the layout, LHO is 0517. He didn't ruff the spade to the king so I didn't have to guess diamonds. But I would have got them right.

Team-mates were allowed to play 5Cx for 300.

[sceptic]

Win the A hearts

next Ace clubs

next Ace diamonds (see what happens) if K D does not drop

prob then play low to K spades and ruff a club

If the Diamonds split 2/1 and KD drops on the Ace I think you are looking at how to make all 13 tricks,is possible,

I think the contract looks easy (but I doubt it is here because it is easy ) LOL

If diamonds and spades split really badly I still think that taking the finese that other way is best and I would play

A hearts

A clubs

K spades

low D to the 10

That way I think you are still in control and just have to play diamonds out to try get a picure of how the spades sit

[paulg]

franceshinden said:

So although I'm in a minority of 1 I'm sticking with a spade to the king at trick 3.

At first glance I thought your line was better as it would win when LHO is 1507 but I think you still end up with a guess when RHO ducks the first three rounds of trumps.

You can either draw the last trump and play for 2-2 spades, or take the spade finesse. If this loses then you will get forced by a heart and go down.

So I think you are probably right in saying that it's probably much the same thing.

nice problem, and congrats on winning the Hubert Phillips again - hard to believe there is an 11 year gap since the last one!

Cheers

Paul

[winkle]

FrancesHinden, on Sep 5 2006, 03:44 AM, said:

If the 10 of diamonds is a winner, LHO showing out, you can't afford to play a third round. If the 10 of diamonds is taken and they play a heart, you can't afford to play a third trump. It's the whole not-drawing-trumps bit I was trying to emphasize.

Assuming that you're discussing the case where diamonds are 1-3, I *can* afford a third trump (although if they duck with Kxx it's natural to leave the DK out). I'll be setting up spades with one finesse and one ruff, with either a heart ruff or the CA as the late entry to my spades (they can't knock out both).