[pclayton]

Here's one misplayed by my opponent in the KO semis. It helped us make up 23 of a 25 IMP deficit after the half. See if you can do better:

Scoring: IMP

---

Your RHO opens a weak 2♠ as dealer. You overcall 2N and your pard raises to 3.

The opening lead is the ♦8 (4th best) and you win the Q. Now what?

[Winstonm]

I have to have either singleton club king or doubleton club king onside. I am more prone to place RHO with 6332 distribution so I win the diamond and finesse the heart 10. Assuming this holds, I finesse the club Q. Again, if this holds, I must cross to the heart ace to unblock before leading another club. To me, this simply looks to be a hand where you have to manage entries correctly and hope the cards lie favorably.

I could win the diamond and return a diamond, but this risks diamonds 6/2 and also has little gain when 5/3 diamonds as LHO could cash 4 diamonds and exit with a club - the advantage being then that the heart could be finessed either way. But the risk of 6/2 diamonds I believe is too great for the added gain of being able to finesse hearts against RHO. The only real advantage to this line would be if RHO turned up with 6431 distribution, but even then entry problems arise trying to get a club count and AJxxxx, Qxxx, xxx, K might have been opened 1S.

[ArcLight]

I think if either opp gets in, Im down on a run of diamonds.

Not only cant I afford to lose the lead, I need all teh Clubs, thus RHO must have Kx or K, and even this is not enough. I need a heart finesse.
Since I'm placing East with AJxxxx♠ and the Club King, I will assume he doesnt have the heart Q. With a stiff Club K I would not count it as full value on offense.


2. Finesse the heart 10
3. cash the heart ace
4. low Club to Q
5. Club Ace
6. Casj heart King
7. Club to J (3-2) else to 9 (4-1) run Clubs
making 9


(probably down a ton when my prediction if off

[Wackojack]

I think the key must be to believing that the lead of ♦8 is 4th highest. Thus west would have ♦AK108x(x). Assuming that East's 2♠ opening is reliably from 6 cards, then west is void in spades. To bring in the clubs, west must have ♣10xx(x). We therefore don't yet need to risk East having the ♥Q. So play heart to Ace, club to Queen.
1. East follows and the Ace drops the King. Then we know that East started with:
♠ -
♥ Q?xxx
♦AK10xxx
♣10xx

Continue playing clubs. West has to make 2 discards. If one of them is a diamond, then end-play him in diamonds. If both are hearts, then use clues from how uncomfortable he seemed discarding a 2nd heart and what East's 2♠ opening range is. Also how good a player is West. Would he bare the ♥Q without blanching.

2. Less likely East started with ♣10xxx:

Assuming East doesn't discard a diamond, the end-play will not now work since East can take the diamond with the 9 and cash ♠A before putting West in with his last diamond. So then you have to rely on East having ♥Q.

[pclayton]

Wackojack, on Oct 16 2006, 07:04 AM, said:

I think the key must be to believing that the lead of ♦8 is 4th highest. Thus west would have ♦AK108x(x). Assuming that East's 2♠ opening is reliably from 6 cards, then west is void in spades. To bring in the clubs, west must have ♣10xx(x). We therefore don't yet need to risk East having the ♥Q. So play heart to Ace, club to Queen.
1. East follows and the Ace drops the King. Then we know that East started with:
♠ -
♥ Q?xxx
♦AK10xxx
♣10xx

Continue playing clubs. West has to make 2 discards. If one of them is a diamond, then end-play him in diamonds. If both are hearts, then use clues from how uncomfortable he seemed discarding a 2nd heart and what East's 2♠ opening range is. Also how good a player is West. Would he bare the ♥Q without blanching.

2. Less likely East started with ♣10xxx:

Assuming East doesn't discard a diamond, the end-play will not now work since East can take the diamond with the 9 and cash ♠A before putting West in with his last diamond. So then you have to rely on East having ♥Q.

To make this, you need Kx♣ or K in the pocket. LHO could be 0=4=6=3 or 0=5=5=3. Your entries don't cater well to trying to pin ♣Tx with LHO, and besides RHO has a lot less vacant spaces.

If the latter, play a ♥ to the Ace, hook the club and finish the clubs. Throw LHO in with the ♦ not caring who has the ♥Q.

In the former, you have to do a little guessing, but it requires LHO to fool you in the ending, but its no worse than guessing the heart early.

I was your LHO and held: ---, 98xxx, AK98x, Txx. The declarer, a well known client, ooked into pard's Qx. Down 1 (pard didn't lay down the A♠)

[FrancesHinden]

Is there some law stopping RHO opening a weak 2 on

AJxxx
xxx
9xx
Kx

?

I know plenty of people who would.

[whereagles]

I would probably go down as well.. to make, I have to place RHO with

AJxxxx
xx
9xx
Kx

if I give him Qx of hearts, he might have opened 1♠ instead of 2♠, thus I might misfinesse the heart into him before running the clubs.