[gwnn]

Sitting East (on the diagram) in a team event vs very good opps, you hear the auction start from your right, you and pd silent:

1♦-1♠
1NT!-2♦! = 14+ - 17 bal (sometimes singleton ♠); GF
3♦!-3♠ = 5♦'s less than 3♠ 4♥ 4♣
4♦-4NT = cue; RKC
5♣-6♠ = 0/3

partner leads trump and dummy tables:

Scoring: IMP

---

Declarer wins in dummy and leads another trump, winning with the King. Both of you follow. Trick 3 goes ♦9,8,J,K. (std signals)

Your return? Why?

[Apollo81]

Club. This is right if declarer started with KQJxxxx KQx Qx x, but even if declarer has the ♣A he may play it and hope for 3-3 diamonds or a heart finesse if you play a club fast/confidently.

[Apollo81]

i guess i should ask if we are playing hi-low = even or hi-low = odd

[gwnn]

Sorry Noble you're right. It's there now.

[FrancesHinden]

Why didn't we double 5C? Didn't we want a club lead?

Did partner peter in trumps? If so I don't think he has the ace of clubs!

If I trust my partner then declarer has the HKQ, because partner would have led a heart away from a heart honour on this sequence. In fact even looking at low cards in both hearts and clubs I would still expect a rounded suit lead.... but I suppose we have to live with the trump lead.

Anyway, if declarer is 6331 or 7321/7231 we need to cash the CA.
If declarer has

KQJxxxx
Kx
xx
Ax

(or one trump fewer and a heart honour more)

he can still make by reading the diamond position on a neutral (e.g. heart) return; and if he has the C8 in hand he can anyway squeeze us in the minors (win heart return in hand, ace of diamonds, diamond ruff in case they break, run trumps coming down to

-
A
x
Q

-
x
-
A8

we have come down to 2 clubs and a diamond; a heart to the ace does us in.

When does a club return let the contract through?
- when partner is ruffing the diamond back (but declarer would have drawn the last trump, surely)
- when declarer doesn't have the C8 and he just one trick short.

- it's possible we need to play a heart back now to break up a compound squeeze; but the excuse "I was trying to break up the compound squeeze" when the ace of clubs was cashing all along seems a bit feeble....

[skjaeran]

Partner would have covered the ♦9 with Q8, so it looks like declarer have Q9 or Q94. Partner's passive trump lead often implies holdings in the side suits unnatractive for lead - probably ♣A and ♥J.

A ♣ switch seems obvious. If declarer holds a small singleton, we have to cash the setting trick now.

[Fluffy]

FrancesHinden, on May 3 2007, 03:34 PM, said:

but the excuse "I was trying to break up the compound squeeze" when the ace of clubs was cashing all along seems a bit feeble....

Lol, I can imagine partner's face while you tell him that.