[bid_em_up]

Same tourny, still playing with your favorite partner, Board #11 of a 12 board IMP tourny in which you are sitting in about 6th/7th in the field, you draw

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We are playing 2/1, I open 1♠, and hear a forcing 1N response. I choose to rebid 4S and partner tanks. RHO starts getting annoyed and demanding that partner bid, so he does and blasts 6♠. This is somewhat a STOT bid (state of the tournament), as we need imps to place higher and a pedestrian 4♠ probably isnt winning much.

The opening lead is the diamond K, you win the Ace in dummy and RHO follows with the 10. Here's what you are faced with, what line of play do you take to possibly make this?

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[pclayton]

Would a random lead the ♣A at T1? Maybe.

Two lines appeal to me:

1. Start with a ♥ to the Jack. I don't expect hearts to be 4-1 (LHO might have led the stiff), but this is far from 100%.

If the ♥J loses, I expect a ♦ continuation against randoms, and I can still make on a 3-2 split.

If the ♥ wins, I'm not out of the woods yet. I'd draw trump (pitching a ♣'s if necessary) and try the ♥K. if 3-2, then I have 13 tricks. if 4-1, I think I need to try a club up for #12.

The most interesting situation is when East has the ♣A and QTxx or Q9xx of hearts. A squeeze without the count operates if I can read the position right, although I can just as easily lead a club us to the King earlier on.

2. Play a ♣ toward the King. If it loses, they might not find the ♣ continuation (even if LHO has the AQ) at T3. If it wins, I have the option of ruffing out the ♣AQx, or a ♥/♣squeeze, or the heart finesse. This leads to a complicated endgame.

I rejected lines like ♥AK and a club up.

This is one of those hands that you need to make a wish to Brigidda on which card to be in the slot. The problem with #2 is that even if the club wins, there's a lot more to do on the hand. #1 doesn't need a whole lot more than the ♥ hook to win.

[inquiry]

I am pedestrian.. I take heart finessee at trick two... maybe if it loses, opening leader might try to cash the diamond queen rather than lead away from something like the queen of clubs. This is further fortified by RHO demanding a bid... he must have a little of something, and it isn't in diamonds. And of course he can not really be broke, first If he was he would be anxious to hear a pass... but maybe that is just me. Second that would give west a lot of diamonds to the KQJ, the club ace and the heart queen. He probably would have found a bid over 1♠ with that.

Of course, if heart hook is the answer, this would hardly be put in as hand of the week (of course, hooking BEFORE East can signal easily for a club could be part of the problem). You have 10 tricks, that is one too many for any really useful strip endplays I think..... But you could try club to the King, when that holds (as it will), now you have 11 tricks. That could open up some more plays for you, but none seem as tood as just trying the heart hook at trick two to me...so I am probalby missing something.

[whereagles]

indeed. the problem comes after that

[bid_em_up]

inquiry, on Dec 7 2006, 02:45 PM, said:

Of course, if heart hook is the answer, this would hardly be put in as hand of the week (of course, hooking BEFORE East can signal easily for a club could be part of the problem).

Ok, maybe I should have said, "My favorite hand of the week"

[Halo]

I'm struggling here.

If I finesse the heart and a singleton 9/10 drops, I have a very nice ending placing the ace of clubs with four hearts in East, but then just heart to the ace and playing a club to the king makes. Q of clubs in East doesn't work. So I am missing something ... look forward to the solution.

[bid_em_up]

As others have suggested, I took the heart finesse immediately at trick two on the hopes that it either wins and hearts are 3-2 or a squeeze would develop on RHO, or that LHO would not hold the club A and continue with a second diamond.

The favorite part of the hand comes when LHO holding the KQ♦, the Q♥ and the club A, won the heart finesse, and immediately tried to cash the diamond Q (instead of the club A). Dont ask me why. I dont know.