[skjaeran]

Scoring: MP

1♠-2♦-2♥-P
2♠- P - 4♠-a.p.

---

The hand came up in a friendly individual last night. Not a very difficult hand, but a couple of instructive points.

West cashes ♦AK and switch to ♠4 to 3, T and J.

How do you play?

[FrancesHinden]

Cash the King of hearts and play the 8 of spades to the King in dummy. If all follow, cash the ace of hearts (discarding a club), ruff a heart, cross on the third trump, ruff a heart, cross on a club and cash the long heart for 11 tricks. If trumps are 2-2 this makes 11 as long as hearts are 4-3, or West has the doubleton.

If RHO discards on the second trump, I would continue Ace of hearts (discarding a club), heart ruff high, trumps (If the ace of hearts is ruffed on my left I have the ruffing heart finesse to get back to 10 tricks). The end position will be

-
J
-
Ax


-
-
-
K8x

This makes 11 tricks if the queen of hearts is singleton, doubleton, or tripleton and also if RHO (who is short in both spades and diamonds) has Qxxx(x) in hearts plus four clubs (or QJ9 of clubs).

If LHO discards on the second trump I can choose whether to play this line or take the ruffing heart finesse. I'm not sure which is better (might depend if diamonds were 6-3 or 5-4).

[cnszsun]

West is much more likely with 6♦s, rather than 5♦s. If he holds 3♠s too, i will play him 3-2-6-2 (with 3-3-6-1, he may lead ♣). Also, his passive defence have some clues.
So, after 2nd ♠ to dummy's King, discovering west holding 3♠s,
I will ruff finesse ♥J directly.

[skjaeran]

Frances got it all right.

The main point was to unblock trumps to have an extra entry to dummy if they were 2-2 - then you can ruff a ♥ high, return to dummy with a trump and claim, as west won't have 5 ♥'s.

If west has 3♠, you should ruff a ♥ and play for a ♥♣ squeece against east.

At the table, ♠'s were 2-2 and west had ♥Qxx.