[mikeh]

Firstly, the play problem, against competent opps at mps.

The auction, with no-one vul., is 3♥ by dealer on your left, double by partner, 4♥ on your right and your 4♠ ends the auction. The lead is the ♥K and dummy hits with 1085 Ax AJ9 AJ98x

You hold QJ732 x Kxxx Kxx

You win the ♥A and play a trump to your Q, only to see LHO show out, with a small ♥ pitch. Plan the play... be very specific.... but I will help you a tad: if and when you play on ♣s, LHO shows with Qx.



Next, the oddity:

Playing the finals of a Regional KO against competent opps (Mike Passell at your table, with client, and Eddie Wold at the other) you hear an unusual auction of 1♦ by Passell on your left and 6N by the client on your right. You have to make a lead from xx 10xxx xx KJxxx.

Now, given the hand as a problem, I suspect that many of us would find the right lead just because it IS given as a problem. However, I suspect that very few would find the right lead at the table: while if the opps were in 3N, you'd just lead a ♣ and pray. Well, of course, my partner led a ♥ and my only working card was the ♣Axx.... they got to a (realistically speaking) unbeatable 6N when stopping in 3N would have led to down 1.

The good news is that our teammate psyched a 2♣ response to the same anemic 1♦ opener and that persuaded the opps to lead a major against 6♦.

The bad news is that we lost the match by 11. However, for 3 married couples to stay close was very enjoyable

[temp3600]

It seems natural to start the clubs, so ♣K and a club. We now know a lot about West's hand, and the only problem is to determine whether he has 4 or 5 diamonds. Now West is a competent player, and therefore must have spent some time reading the BBO forums. If he has retained even a fraction of the knowledge here, he cannot possibly be 7-4 for his 3♥ opening. So he is 0=6=5=2, and it is now a pretty straightforward double-dummy problem. If he has psyched with a 0=7=4=2, to protect the ♦Q that he may or may not hold, well that was very cunning of him.

[gwnn]

temp3600, on Apr 17 2007, 03:57 AM, said:

It seems natural to start the clubs, so ♣K and a club. We now know a lot about West's hand, and the only problem is to determine whether he has 4 or 5 diamonds. Now West is a competent player, and therefore must have spent some time reading the BBO forums. If he has retained even a fraction of the knowledge here, he cannot possibly be 7-4 for his 3♥ opening. So he is 0=6=5=2, and it is now a pretty straightforward double-dummy problem. If he has psyched with a 0=7=4=2, to protect the ♦Q that he may or may not hold, well that was very cunning of him.

LOL I thought your reply was about the 6NT lead

[Mosene]

How about - play King and Ace of clubs - once the q of clubs shows up ruff a heart, cash the diamond K and then get back with a club and continue clubs - pitching a diamond if/when RHO ruffs. RHO is then end played to play a heart or a second diamond (or a spade). If it is a heart - pitch a diamond from hand, ruff on the board and play the last club - if RHO ruffs low overruff and play a diamond (RHO has only AK of spades left so it is ok to have that trick ruffed). if RHO ruffs high pitch another diamond. I think that works.

[mikeh]

Mosene, on Apr 18 2007, 02:34 PM, said:

How about - play King and Ace of clubs - once the q of clubs shows up ruff a heart, cash the diamond K and then get back with a club and continue clubs - pitching a diamond if/when RHO ruffs. RHO is then end played to play a heart or a second diamond (or a spade). If it is a heart - pitch a diamond from hand, ruff on the board and play the last club - if RHO ruffs low overruff and play a diamond (RHO has only AK of spades left so it is ok to have that trick ruffed). if RHO ruffs high pitch another diamond. I think that works.

when he ruffs and you pitch, he is not endplayed: he cashes the top two trumps and exits a ♥ and he now has longer trump than you: you shortened your trump by ruffing a ♥ and now, when he leads his last ♥, you are down to one trump each... if you ruff, he gets his long trump for 4 trump tricks

[Fluffy]

lets see, we have 3♠, 3♣, 1♥ and 2♦, how can we make any more trick?

We need to ruff a ♦ in dummy

So only hope is finese ♦J, ♦A, cash 3♣ and play a ♦ from dummy.

[Fluffy]

and about the lead thing, seems you got fixed, leading a ♣ is a reasonable option, just it doesn't seem the best one.

[cherdano]

Fluffy, on Apr 19 2007, 04:32 AM, said:

and about the lead thing, seems you got fixed, leading a ♣ is a reasonable option, just it doesn't seem the best one.

There are players against whom I would lead a club (expecting that they are gambling with a running suit), but against a client whom I expect to have 20 hcp in a balanced hand...