[FrancesHinden]

The auction is a little embarrassing.
1♣ 1♥ 2♦ 3♥
x P 4♥ P
4♠ P 4NT P
5♣ P 5♠ P
6♠ all pass

At the point when you bid 5♣, you were showing 0 or 3 keycards.
You then immediately remember that in fact you have shown 1 or 4 (luckily the opponents don't ask so you have have no UI). Partner looks confused at your 6♠ bid but eventually passes.

So, here you are in 6 rather than in 7. It's imps, by the way. Can you guarantee the contract if no-one has a void? I thought for ages at the table and couldn't quite see it. I got as far as making with either black suit 3-2, with RHO 4-1 in the blacks (and not 6 hearts) or with LHO 4531. But I'm sure there must be a way to do better than that.

You get the ♥K lead.

Scoring: IMP

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[temp3600]

Same line as Jlall.

Basically, starting with clubs fails if the second round of the suit is ruffed by the defender with 4 trumps : we are stuck. Diamonds are more flexible - if they divide well for us (3-3, 4-2 or 1=5) we are home, and if not (5=1) then we can always setup the clubs, because the trump and club lenghts will be in the same hand, so again we are home.

Just to nitpick : the remark about West being 6-5 and East 4=4=1=4 is actually unnecessary for the play analysis. Even in that case clubs can be setup and trumps drawn.

[FrancesHinden]

Thanks for the replies. I had this weird blind spot about ruffing the diamonds in hand. (That's the problem with playing a 32-board match in the evening after a full day at work and a 90 minute train journey. Forgetting what version of Blackwood we were playing was only the start.)

I've since thought of another, admittedly slightly more obscure method of making it, which has the additional bonus that you are still OK after two rounds of trumps.

Win the opening lead (good plan).
Cash two top rounds of trumps.

If all follow life is easy.

If LHO discards, club to the queen, club towards hand. If 3-2 ruff a heart, draw trumps, claim an overtrick. If RHO ruffs in it is easy. If RHO discards cash the AK of diamonds (RHO has to have at least 3 diamonds assuming LHO has 5 hearts) and play another club, again RHO has to discard and you have a high cross-ruff for 12 tricks.

If RHO discards on the second spade, ruff a heart in dummy and draw trumps, discarding a diamond from dummy. Now take the Q and A of clubs. (This is assuming LHO isn't 4504). If RHO has still got a club guard, then in the 5-card end position he either is down to 2 clubs, 2 diamonds and a heart; or 2 clubs and three diamonds. As long as you can work out if he was originally 1444 or 1534 (or indeed 1354) either the diamonds are cashing from the top or you can play a diamond to the 10.

The ruff-two-diamonds-in-hand line is more secure because you don't have to read the position. But this is more fun.

(At the table trumps were 3-2)