[FrancesHinden]

I've recently started playing the odd practice game on BBO with 3 friends. Funnily enough, the same hand type came up two weeks running.

Scoring: IMP

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You respond with a (semi)-forcing 1NT to North's 1S opening and get to the best spot of 4H by South.

West leads the King of clubs. After some consideration RHO takes this with the ace and switches to a spade. Plan the play.

Scoring: IMP

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Playing an Acol-style system this time you bid 1S - 2H - 3D (extras) - 3H - 4H. West again leads the king of clubs. You win this with the ace, RHO showing an odd number. Plan the play - in particular, what is the main danger to your contract?

[skjaeran]

On the first hand I'm worried about a spade ruff, the switch looks very much like a singleton. How to avoid a ruff - see hidden text:

Spoiler

If west has the trump ace I've got no chance, so I'll assume east has it. West has a club entry, which I need to remove. I'll win the switch in dumme, cash the diamond ace, crashing my king, and then lead the jack off dummy. If east's got the queen I'll get rid of my last club, and then west's entry and east's ruff is gone.

[skjaeran]

On the second hand I've got a top loser in both minors and a possible trump loser: If I manage to ruff a club in dummy, there's still a possibility that west might play a late fourth round of clubs which east might ruff (it looks like the suit is 4-3, but 6-1 is aso possible) or that east might give west a ruff (if clubs are KQ-xxxxx). On the other hand, if I play west for the ♦A I can discard a club. And the spade finesse is also a (not so attractive) possibility. So this is a more complex hand than the first.

I'm not sure this is the best solution, but here we go (hidden):

Spoiler

To protect entries between my hands and cut off opps entries I'll lead the diamond king off dummy at trick 2. If east wins and plays a trump I'll win the ace and continue with the jack of clubs to west. West can't continue trumps (except from Qxxx) without giving up a trump trick. I'll win a rounded suit return in dummy, cash the other rounded suit winner in dummy, ruff a spade, ruff a club and ruff a diamond, before playing trumps from the top. If east doesn't have the ace of diamonds or doesn't return a trump I can play a trump from dummy to the ace after ruffing the club.

[FrancesHinden]

Harold, you know you're right, but would have been nice to leave this to some less experienced posters to have a go first... I know you've hidden part of your answer, but half the point of these problems is to work out what the problem is in the first place.

[vuroth]

FrancesHinden, on Sep 5 2007, 11:01 AM, said:

Harold, you know you're right, but would have been nice to leave this to some less experienced posters to have a go first... I know you've hidden part of your answer, but half the point of these problems is to work out what the problem is in the first place.

To be fair, I looked, and thought, but didn't really feel like I'd solved anything.

On the first, I fear a spade ruff, but see no recourse.

On the second, it looks like I need to ruff two clubs with dummy's 2 small hearts, but since I need to lose the lead in clubs first, a trump return squashes that, forcing me to try the spade finesse to throw off the second club.

Hands like this where I'm short on controls seem to give me nothing but grief.

V

[FrancesHinden]

vuroth, on Sep 5 2007, 05:52 PM, said:

On the first, I fear a spade ruff, but see no recourse.

On the second, it looks like I need to ruff two clubs with dummy's 2 small hearts, but since I need to lose the lead in clubs first, a trump return squashes that, forcing me to try the spade finesse to throw off the second club.

Hands like this where I'm short on controls seem to give me nothing but grief.

V

On the first you are right to fear a spade ruff.
The recourse is not certain, but worth a try...

On the second, after the top club lead you only need to ruff one club in dummy, as they led the King to dummy's ace; you now have J10x in hand with only the Queen to knock out.