cherdano, on Dec 19 2006, 04:33 PM, said:
kenrexford, on Dec 19 2006, 11:12 PM, said:
It seems possible that partner only has two spades, Kx. Give declarer xxx-KJx-Ax-AK109x. Partner would then have Kx-Ax-Qxxxxx-xxx.
On this layout, Declarer needs the clubs to come in. He might try to drop one honor. He might hook against a possible QJxx in your partner's hand. All very plausible. If this is his hand, then a spade back is critical, to force a guess as to whether clubs split of the "clearly working" spade hook is on.
Why, though, would partner play as he did? Partner would clearly discourage diamonds, with K109 in dummy. Would he, though, duck the spade? Why not? His only move after ducking the spade is a club switch, and Declarer will likely do that himself and then finesse spades again. This might cause a tempo problem, or it might make Declarer too optomistic about the spade situation. Coming down to the stiff King behind, when the finesse seems "marked," might be a good move here.
So, I'll return the spade, perhaps just to be different.
I admit this layout is possible, but I think partner's duck in spades would be wrong. Whenever declarer has to lose the lead just once to develop 4 club tricks, the duck will give away the contract. (Declarer will believe the finesse, but not repeat it when he has 9 top tricks.)
Perhaps devil's advocate some more...
Declarer will not be keen on setting up clubs with one loser when he sees a clear alternative. Given his actual hand, he has the alternative of re-entering hand to finesse spades again, and then playing for the spade to drop. That would get him to 9 tricks (four spades, one heart, two clubs, and two diamonds), and it even sets up some squeeze possibilities for overtricks.
Declarer also makes on that line with 10xx of spades in hand, if his LHO has Kx. Another tempting line.
Here's where partner might be brilliantly setting a trap for Declarer. He must protect against that situation when spades are 4-2, right? If spades are 4-2, hope is not lost. "Knowing" that the spade finesse works, Declarer makes a nice partial reduction play. After the spade hook works the second time, without the King dropping, he crosses back to hand with the last top club before leading a spade, playing his LHO for a possible 4432 pattern. Now, when the spade does not drop, Declarer throws his LHO in with his spade (pitching a club), the third loser, allows him to cash the last heart (his fourth loser), and then sits back for the opponents to break trumps. Of course, LHO has a solution if Declarer is Ax in diamonds of a small diamond, but LHO might miss this or RHO might not realize that a duck is critical. Of course, Opener might even have Axx in diamonds and AK109 in clubs, where there is no solution.
The problem with this issue is that Declarer will not have the second spade finesse fail. But, Declarer might nonetheless hold 10xx of trumps and be planning this line. When the second finesse fails, RHO counters with the second club. This blocks spades (in a non-material way?), insofar as Declarer cannot take the two established spaded (Ace and 10) without overtaking the 10 (devastating when spades are really 4-2) or crossing back in diamonds, removing his options on a throw-in.
If partner just wins the spade, and exits a club, Declarer may have the spade 10. If so, Declarer wins the club return and cashes out the spades. That brings him to 8 tricks, having taken five of the first 8, with five cards remaining. From partner's perspective, this will put a lot of pressure on you. You must save two clubs, two diamonds, and a heart. If you do not have the QJ of clubs, but Queen alone (Declarer might have AKJx(x) in clubs at the point of the first spade finesse), you are subjected to a throw-in after diamonds are stripped. You were subjected to a squeeze (another immaterial?) against your small diamond exit card.
I might have something wrong in this rambling... Even if so, certainly partner is capable of smelling these issues in the brief time it takes to play in tempo and of acting upon it. So, the question arises -- which is more likely? A spade duck from your brilliant partner or a bizarre club duck from Declarer?
"Gibberish in, gibberish out. A trial judge, three sets of lawyers, and now three appellate judges cannot agree on what this law means. And we ask police officers, prosecutors, defense lawyers, and citizens to enforce or abide by it? The legislature continues to write unreadable statutes. Gibberish should not be enforced as law."
-P.J. Painter.
Help
. So I play partner for the club King (or ACE).How many clubs does parnter have? He has thrown two diamonds (when a spade is always safe) so he is 2-2-5-4 and is clutching his four card club suit tightly. South looks like he has 4