[pclayton]

So you get drafted by Melih to play in a short match against Fulvio. You end up with one of the regulars. You get to a tight 3N that rolls on the 1st, so after 7 boards you have a small lead. Can you hang on to it?

Scoring: IMP

---

You open 1♠ in 3rd chair. LHO bids 3♣ (red suits) and Fulvio bids 3♦. LHO pulls to 4♥.

Pard tracks the ♠2. Declarer rises with the A and pitches the ♣Q. At T2 he puts the ♦2 on the tracks.

Hopefully you've been thinking up to this point. Your play?

(Note: I edited dummy's diamond spots after I checked the hand record)

[Walddk]

It shouldn't be too difficult to play low. Declarer is 0-6-5-2 if his bidding makes any sense. He may have A10xxx in diamonds and win the 10, but I will still come to two diamond tricks if I play low.

I am not sure I can beat this contract, but maybe I can pursuade him to cash ♦A next when the 10 holds, and then we have a chance of tapping him before he can set up his 5th diamond.

Perhaps he is dealt something like

--
KQJxxx
A10xxx
AQ

That would be consistent with his bidding. He must have that holding in clubs when he pitches the queen at trick 1. Partner doesn't have ♣AK when he leads a spade.

I know that declarer with the hand above can make his contract if he doesn't cash ♦A next, but if you don't give them the chance to make mistakes, they will make fewer than they normally do.

Roland

[inquiry]

I am thinking this is going to be tough. Declarer must be 0-6-5-2. If partner had AK of clubs he would have lead one, so declarer still has club A or K, probalby the the ACE as there is no need to throw club from KQ doubleton. His hearts have to be very good for this auction, and I can see the AT9 between me and dummy, so declarer probably has KQJ-sixth.

Seems like that is 5H, 1S, 1C and the diamond ACE and the 13th diamond is 9 tricks. If he can score a third diamond either by ruffing in dummy (and partner will not be able to overruff dummy) or his possible diamond TEN he has ten tricks . Maybe if partner has the heart JACK, but that can't be right on this auction. It seems the best chance might be to play low diamond, and hope for one of two lines...

1) declarer play ♦A and a diamond. You then win the diamond, and give partner a diamond ruff, and he returns a trump so you can play two rounds of trumps.

2) declarer guess right and double hooks you in diamonds but then goes astry and follows up with diamond ACE with plan to ruff a diamond in dummy if necessary. This line would be a mistake, as with 4-1 diamonds, he can afford to lose two diamonds and a heart, so should the diamond TEN win, the correct line looks like a a low diamond as a safety play, even if trumps are 4-1, depending on who has the heart eight.

So the best play seems to be to play low and hope partner has the diamond ten, then declarer has no chance.

[pclayton]

Thanks Roland and Ben; two good thoughts. Declarer actually held (as expected): ---, KQJxxx, AT76x, AQ .

At the table, declarer hooked the ♦10 sucessfully and continued with the A♦ (why?), ruffed by pard and a trump returned. After trying for a club trick, I eventually led a 2nd trump, so we beat it 1. At the other table, Melih and Lair defended 4♠ x'd for a big gain.

Roland: even if declarer tries to draw trump, I can push the K♦ through declarer for a ♦ ruff and draw dummy's trump later and still score a 2nd ♦. Justin pointed this out to me later. I'd like to think I would have found the play

And Ben: If declarer actually held Axxxx; I think drawing trump is in order, not playing on ♦'s.

To make, Declarer has to play a ♦ to his 7. Not an easy play. Would you have found it?

http://online.bridge...n.php?id=969775

[inquiry]

pclayton, on Oct 17 2006, 09:54 AM, said:

To make, Declarer has to play a ♦ to his 7. Not an easy play. Would you have found it?

http://online.bridge...n.php?id=969775

Are you sure? Seems like after the ♦Ten holds he can lead a low diamond next.

Say your partner ruffs and you play two rounds of trumps. The ♦A and give a diamond he makes. Say your partner pitches and you win the ♦King. If you lead a low ♦ for your partner to ruff, now two rounds of trumps, and he is in control again. Why does he have to play the seven?

[Walddk]

pclayton, on Oct 17 2006, 04:54 PM, said:

To make, Declarer has to play a ♦ to his 7. Not an easy play. Would you have found it?

I don't think so. Inserting the 10 works fine; when that holds, he can just exit with a low diamond from hand. Try to defeat it from there.

By the way, wouldn't an expert player have done that, catering for a 4-1 diamond break? It seems like a straightforward safety play to me.

Roland

[bid_em_up]

Scratch that

[hatchett]

On the actual lie I also think continuing a low ♦ after a diamond to the T works.

[hatchett]

The hand is potentially awkward if ♦ are 4-1. If declarer continues a low ♦, win the K, as partner pitches a ♠. Tap declarer with a ♠. Declarer has to continue another low ♦, which you win and tap declarer with another ♠. Say he ruffs high. If he now plays a ♥, then the defender on his right can duck the first round, win the second and give partner a ♦ ruff if he started with Ax♥. If instead declarer ruffs the fourth round of ♦ and then plays a ♥ he suffers a trump promotion if LHO has 8xx ♥.

Low to the ♦7 works when RHO has ♦KQ9x but loses to stiff ♦9 when the ♥8 is tripleton, which I think makes it a better line.

[pclayton]

Walddk, on Oct 17 2006, 07:19 AM, said:

pclayton, on Oct 17 2006, 04:54 PM, said:

To make, Declarer has to play a ♦ to his 7. Not an easy play. Would you have found it?

I don't think so. Inserting the 10 works fine; when that holds, he can just exit with a low diamond from hand. Try to defeat it from there.

By the way, wouldn't an expert player have done that, catering for a 4-1 diamond break? It seems like a straightforward safety play to me.

Roland

I guess if youre saying declarer ducks TWO diamonds, I think I agree. It doesn't quite work to duck one diamond and play the Ace on the 3rd round.

[Walddk]

pclayton, on Oct 17 2006, 07:19 PM, said:

Walddk, on Oct 17 2006, 07:19 AM, said:

pclayton, on Oct 17 2006, 04:54 PM, said:

To make, Declarer has to play a ♦ to his 7. Not an easy play. Would you have found it?

I don't think so. Inserting the 10 works fine; when that holds, he can just exit with a low diamond from hand. Try to defeat it from there.

By the way, wouldn't an expert player have done that, catering for a 4-1 diamond break? It seems like a straightforward safety play to me.

Roland

I guess if youre saying declarer ducks TWO diamonds, I think I agree. It doesn't quite work to duck one diamond and play the Ace on the 3rd round.

When LHO shows out on the second round of diamonds, it goes without saying that I won't cash the ace. That is exactly why I didn't cash it when the 10 held.

Give them 2 diamonds and 1 heart. Is that not a classic safety play against a 4-1 break now that I know that RHO can't have a singleton?

Roland