[fred]

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You open 2NT and play in 4H.

You get a trump lead which you win with the King in hand.

You cash the Queen of trump and both follow.

How do you play from here?

Is the contract certain?

Fred Gitelman
Bridge Base Inc.
www.bridgebase.com

[Halo]

Play too throw West in with clubs. Best I think to test clubs before drawing the last trump.

[Mosene]

So long as West does not have 5 clubs, it is guaranteed, by a West throw in (play last trump, A and K of clubs, club off dummy, then either finesse or go up with club depending on if East plays a club or not and play last club, pitching spade from dummy). - not sure how to test for 5-1 clubs without risking the contract.

[mikeh]

Draw the last trump, cash the A and K of ♣s and hook the 10♣.. if RHO shows in on the 3rd round... if he shows out, cash the top 3 clubs and (if the J has not fallen) exit the last ♣.

We are going to score 5 trumps, 3♣s, the ♦A and, unless West has 5+clubs (where he can give you a ruff and sluff) he is going to have to give you a ♠ or a ♦. Of course, if the hookk wins, we have a fast ten tricks.

I don't think the hand is cold... if west has 5♣s to the Jack, he can give you a ruff-sluff which merely gives you your 5th trump trick, which you were always going to get.

However, if RHO shows in with 2+♣s, this line assures the contract.

[Halo]

I still don't think so. Don't draw last trump. PLay club to king and back to Ace.

What is the bad thing that can happen?

[Halo]

Jlall, on May 3 2007, 04:17 PM, said:

pull trumps cash 2 clubs, hook a club.

LHO wins and plays back a club and now... you have 5 trumps, 3 clubs and a diamond and are one off?

[SoTired]

Halo, on May 3 2007, 04:25 PM, said:

Jlall, on May 3 2007, 04:17 PM, said:

pull trumps cash 2 clubs, hook a club.

LHO wins and plays back a club and now... you have 5 trumps, 3 clubs and a diamond and are one off?

Right, the endplay does not work if LHO returns the 14th club

[Halo]

Jlall, on May 3 2007, 04:29 PM, said:

Halo, on May 3 2007, 04:25 PM, said:

Jlall, on May 3 2007, 04:17 PM, said:

pull trumps cash 2 clubs, hook a club.

LHO wins and plays back a club and now... you have 5 trumps, 3 clubs and a diamond and are one off?

Brilliant. Do you really think I would hook the club if RHO has SHOWN OUT? You are really becoming annoying, if you would like to attack something I say on every thread at least do it with something that is not nonsensical, thank you. I guess for some people I should clarify: If RHO shows out I will not take a finesse!

And if RHO shows out on the second round...you do what?

It's a discussion. Play of cards is quite different from bidding.

There is no attack.

I suggested testing clubs before drawing trumps to deal with 51 distribution. May or may not work... but nobody has had the courtesy so far to even wonder why I suggested it. All happy to go off after the first obvious attempt (high percentage I agree).

[Halo]

Jlall, on May 3 2007, 04:47 PM, said:

I win the club queen, exit a club and discard from dummy and claim.

Maybe its me.. Ruff and discard, still nine tricks?

[Halo]

Yes I think you were right and testing clubs is no use.

I missed that I don't need to take the ruff and discard if clubs are 5-1, I can let him make the fifth club and he is still thrown in to give me a tenth trick [edit: no you said that didn't work.. think again].

Too late for me to consider the play with clubs 6-0...

[Fluffy]

playing 2 clubs before last trump might put RHO on a position where he can make a mistake (if 5-1), the problem is clubs could be 6-0 (unlikelly from the lead), then it would be a disaster.

[Halo]

Jlall, on May 3 2007, 05:57 PM, said:

That doesn't work since you have to discard from your hand on the 5th club. If you pitch a spade LHO can return a spade and force you to guess what to do. If you pitch a diamond from dummy and a spade comes back you can pitch another diamond from dummy, but you are still 2-2 in diamonds. Essentially you compress yourself down to 4 trump tricks.

Yes, when I said ...think again it was ambiguous, but I meant I had to think again.

I can't see anything, and it does seem certain that the squeeze on declarer is the feature of the hand.

In the end it is worth considering testing clubs first, in that West can't do you any damage by ruffing in and East may switch to diamonds if he ruffs in with clubs holding five - or you may play him for the ace of spades.

However its not clear that this is better than the altrnative end position, and there is certainly no point at all in testing clubs if you haven't already foreseen declarer's discarding difficulty.