[FrancesHinden]

Scoring: IMP

2♦ x 2♠ 3♥
P 4♥ all pass

---

2D = weak two in a major (5-9, 6-card suit) or various strong hands
x = 13-15 bal or various strong hands
2S = to play opposite spades, happy to be in 3H or more opposite hearts
3H = nat FG

5 of clubs lead.
Their lead style is top of a doubleton, 2nd highest from 3 or 4 low, bottom from 3 to an honour, 4th highest from 4+ to an honour.

Plan the play. If you rise with the CA, RHO will play the 8 which is either encouraging or an even number, they aren't that well defined which.

[Free]

I think you need to finesse ♦ to discard a ♠ in dummy. LHO has ♠AQxxxx or some similar holding, and RHO probably has ♥A. You can only afford to lose 1♥ and 2♠s, and no ♠ ruff.

♦A, ♦ to the J, ♦K to discard a ♠.

[ArcLight]

1. I don't understand the 2♠ bid RHO made.
>2S = to play opposite spades, happy to be in 3H or more opposite hearts

How can they be happy to play in Spades when you have 6 and presumably LHO has 5? They are happy in a 5-2 fit? And also happy in a heart game, with us having 9 hearts?


If I understand this correctly, RHO has 2 Spades and 4 hearts, wouldn't they bid their longer suit (Hearts), or is their response structure to bid their shortest suit?
If thas the case, RHO has 2 spades and 4 hearts and must not be allowed in.

Win the Club Ace and play the Club 9, discarding a low spade form hand, endplaying LHO. If RHO plays a club honor, ruff it, and enter dummy viad the dime ace and lead another club. I sure hope RHO doesnt have both club honors, becaus ewhen we lead trumps, they are in with the ace and will lead a spade through our King for 2 fast spade losers.

Say LHO wins the club, they have no hearts, a spade gives us a trick, a dime is a free finesse, and a club gives us the free entry to dummy for the free finesse.

If RHO covers, ruff, enter with the dime ace, lead another club, discard a spade, RHO is end played.

I sure hope clubs are evenly distributed.

Also, if it turns out that LHO has a big hand, we will probably lose the dime finesse.

[FrancesHinden]

ArcLight, on Nov 22 2006, 02:40 PM, said:

1. I don't understand the 2♠ bid RHO made.

If I understand this correctly, RHO has 2 Spades and 4 hearts, wouldn't they bid their longer suit (Hearts), or is their response structure to bid their shortest suit?

To explain responses to a multi.
You assume your partner has a weak two in one of the majors (the strong hands look after themselves).

If you want to play in 2H if he has long hearts, you bid 2H. This says nothing about your spades.

If you want to play in 2S if partner has long spades, but you have a heart fit - so you would have raised an opening weak two in hearts - you bid 2S.

If you would have raised a normal weak two in either major (say you have 3316) you can response 3H, pre-emptive, but inviting partner to convert to spades with long spades.

If you would have raised a normal weak two bid in spades to the 3-level, but a normal weak 2 in hearts to the 4-level, you respond 3S.

The outcome is that, unless you are very weak, you will intend tend to respond in your shorter major: the message is that you don't have a fit for that major but you do (or might do) have a fit for the other.

So suppose you held something like

x
Axx
Kxxxx
Qxxx

If partner opened a weak two in spades, you would pass
If partner opened a weak two in hearts, you would probably bid 3H.

You respond 2S to the multi, saying it's where you want to play opposite spades.

[brianshark]

Everyone keeps posting what I was about to say (first ArcLight, then FrancesHinden), while I'm still previewing my post!

The ♦ finesse line relies solely on the ♦Q being onside, but I think the better line is trying ♣ first. It works if both ♣ honours are onside. It also works if they are 1-1 and LHO doesn't have a ♥ to play back to righty (so he can't play through your ♠K). It also works if ♣ honours are 1-1 and lefty does have a ♥ to play to righty, but ♠s are 6-1 so they can't finesse twice and you'll eventually get your long ♣ anyway.

[HeartA]

I would set up one club trick via trump-finesse for discards of spades.

[pclayton]

Frances, I've had some fun with this one

If I'm playing in the Fast Pairs, the best single dummy play is to hook the ♦Q. All this needs is for LHO to hold 3 or 4 small diamonds.

But if I'm playing this for my life (or something more important):

The missing club cards are K, Q, 8, 7, 4, 3, 2. The lead could be from A. 5x (3 cases), B. 75x (3 cases), C. 75xx (3 cases), D. H875 (2 cases). Curious. When RHO plays the 8 I can eliminate "D". Ben will look up the relative chances of west having 2, 3 or 4 clubs based on spades being 6-1, I'm sure

So I KNOW RHO has KQ of clubs, but I don't know the count. Would RHO chance 2♠ with 1-2 in the majors, or does this imply 1-3 or 1-4?

♣KQxx on the right does work; Win A♣, ♣covered, ♦A, ♣covered, K♦, ruff♦, cash club. The curious thing about this line is that we assume LHO has 6=1=2=4. When we play the 3rd ♦, LHO can pitch a 4th ♣, and can ruff the 4th ♣, but is then endplayed and plays A♠/♠ruff. So thats OK.

If LHO is 6=?=?=3, LHO can ruff the 4th club, and will have a heart exit with 6=2=2=3, although I'll know this already since I'll see the spade pitch on the 3rd ♦, and know I'm going down

If LHO were to follow to the 3rd ♦, I could actually face my cards at that point, since I know LHO would be either 6=0=3=4, 6=1=3=3 or 6=0=4=3.

If LHO has only 2 clubs, I definitely need the ♦ hook, since I can't take the ♣ pitch timely.

The junction point of this hand is when I lead to the ♦A. If I think I need the ♦ finesse I need to take it now. If I want to work on clubs, I have to continue with a club ruff.

Plays like trying to combine ♦Qxx in either hand and the clubs onside gets messy. Besides, I need to help with the cooking for Thanksgiving (besides the director is hovering over the table).

So I'll work on clubs.

If anyone wants to continue this stream of consciousness, go for it. I think we have enough clues to come up with enough finite possibilities and can analyze %'s.

[whereagles]

Double club finesse only works if ♣KQ are onside and clubs 44. Clubs 44 are necessary because you have to go back to dummy twice and can't afford to do it in trumps (RHO takes his ace and plays a spade for his pard's ♠AQ and a ruff).

The straight-forward line of ♦Q finesse seems to be the most plausible move. Even if it's wrong

[hatchett]

Quote

The missing club cards are K, Q, 8, 7, 4, 3, 2. The lead could be from A. 5x (3 cases), B. 75x (3 cases), C. 75xx (3 cases), D. H875 (2 cases). Curious. When RHO plays the 8 I can eliminate "D". Ben will look up the relative chances of west having 2, 3 or 4 clubs based on spades being 6-1, I'm sure

So I KNOW RHO has KQ of clubs, but I don't know the count. Would RHO chance 2♠ with 1-2 in the majors, or does this imply 1-3 or 1-4?

Why can't the lead be from H75?

[hatchett]

I will play a ♣ at trick two. My basic plan is the ♦ finesse but this gives a second string. RHO will surely play an honor if he has KQ (if RHO follows low I ruff), in which case I ruff, and then play ♦A and finesse the ♦J. If this wins I continue ♦K. If this holds I am home; if it is ruffed, then I overruff and take the ruffing ♣ finesse. If RHO covers I ruff and enter dummy with another diamond ruff, to try and cash the fourth round of ♣s.

[1eyedjack]

brianshark, on Nov 22 2006, 02:59 PM, said:

Everyone keeps posting what I was about to say (first ArcLight, then FrancesHinden), while I'm still previewing my post!

The ♦ finesse line relies solely on the ♦Q being onside, but I think the better line is trying ♣ first. It works if both ♣ honours are onside. It also works if they are 1-1 and LHO doesn't have a ♥ to play back to righty (so he can't play through your ♠K). It also works if ♣ honours are 1-1 and lefty does have a ♥ to play to righty, but ♠s are 6-1 so they can't finesse twice and you'll eventually get your long ♣ anyway.

Don't quite follow the final sentence.

Say Club honours are 1-1, lefty has a heart and Spades are 6-1. Lefty wins the club, leads heart to Ace, Spade through. Finita la musica.

[pclayton]

hatchett, on Nov 22 2006, 01:28 PM, said:

Quote

The missing club cards are K, Q, 8, 7, 4, 3, 2. The lead could be from A. 5x (3 cases), B. 75x (3 cases), C. 75xx (3 cases), D. H875 (2 cases). Curious. When RHO plays the 8 I can eliminate "D". Ben will look up the relative chances of west having 2, 3 or 4 clubs based on spades being 6-1, I'm sure

So I KNOW RHO has KQ of clubs, but I don't know the count. Would RHO chance 2♠ with 1-2 in the majors, or does this imply 1-3 or 1-4?

Why can't the lead be from H75?

Yes, it can be. K75 and Q75 are both possible; neglected to mention it. This holding argues for the diamond hook, hoping for 6=1=3=3 in LHO.

A few more thoughts after what I said this morning. If West is 6=2=2=3, I don't think we can ever make it, even if we hook the diamond.

[kenberg]

A of clubs, ace of diamonds, small diamond to the Jack works if lho holds xxx(x) of diamonds. A holding such as AQxxxx/x/xxx/Qxx is certainly consistent with the bidding and, I think, the play. It's sort of impossible to really get any odds exactly right unless you think you know what lho would lead holding xxx in one minor and Qxx in the other. I would lead from the Qxx (or the Kxx). LHO may think differently.

I just see the D finesse as the most likely.

[brianshark]

1eyedjack, on Nov 22 2006, 11:02 PM, said:

brianshark, on Nov 22 2006, 02:59 PM, said:

Everyone keeps posting what I was about to say (first ArcLight, then FrancesHinden), while I'm still previewing my post!

The ♦ finesse line relies solely on the ♦Q being onside, but I think the better line is trying ♣ first. It works if both ♣ honours are onside. It also works if they are 1-1 and LHO doesn't have a ♥ to play back to righty (so he can't play through your ♠K). It also works if ♣ honours are 1-1 and lefty does have a ♥ to play to righty, but ♠s are 6-1 so they can't finesse twice and you'll eventually get your long ♣ anyway.

Don't quite follow the final sentence.

Say Club honours are 1-1, lefty has a heart and Spades are 6-1. Lefty wins the club, leads heart to Ace, Spade through. Finita la musica.

Sorry, right you are. Plus I'm discounting all the risks of ruffs too.

[Halo]

Most players don't like having a void for this opening. So I think we want West to be 6124 with no club honour or 6133 with no Queen of diamonds, or 6142 with no Queen of diamonds.

The analysis of the club spots is brilliant, and I wish I had the ability to get even close to that over the table. But I think West is a favourite to have two or three clubs rather than 4 so its not working most of the time.

Also West with xxxx clubs can always play small on the second round and strongly encourage us to switch back to diamonds.

The immediate diamond finesse looks the winner as Free suggested.

[FrancesHinden]

Opening leader is indeed 6124 with four low clubs.

At our table declarer, my partner, took the diamond finesse immediately and in principle went off (actually he didn't go off but only because the defence was completely absurd later).

At the other table declarer took the club lead and lead the HQ from dummy. A slightly dozy teammates ducked this with Axx and declarer then reverted to the diamond finesse. So a low standard flat board.

I like hatchett's line, which is basically the diamond finesse but has a minor additional chance which results here in a genuine line to make.