[LukeG]

Scoring: Imp

N is the dealer
1♠ P 1NT P
2♦ P 2NT P
3♥ P 3NT AP

---

The game is IMPs, both white. EW lead 4th best and use odd/even first discard.

West led the ♥2. East won the Q and returned the suit. Declarer won the Ace in dummy and led a third round of ♥s. East discarded the ♣4, ostensibly showing strength/interest in ♦s. West shifted to a low spade. Declarer made nine tricks - 2 ♠s, 2♥s, 5 ♣s.

Assign a percentage of the blame to West and East.

[Gerben47]

East can not let go the ♣4, knowing that South has only 2♠ but should play the ♠8 instead. West should have switched to ♦K (why else would partner play his lowest ♣?

East 55%, West 45%.

Mistakes by East:
1) Throwing a Club although a Spade could not possibly cost anything.
2) Agreeing on Odd/Even discards.

Mistakes by West:
2) Agreeing on Odd/Even discards.
3) Not continuing Diamonds on partner's signals.

I think 3) counts just a bit less than 1) because if you did 2) you wouldn't know if partner may have had no good card for the situation even though the C4 seems clear enough.

[inquiry]

There is a lot of blame to go around. What clues did east have? West lead the ♥2, marking South with four ♥. West didn't make a sequence lead, so south clealy has at least the ♥T and maybe higher ♥ as well, so ♥ will never be a source of more than one more trick.

The ♠ suit in dummy is ominous, especially given that EAST holds three ♠ to the jack. If south has ♠Qx there are five ♠ tricks, and if south has ♠xx there are four. So the minor suit(s) will have to be the source of the setting tricks. I would have never returned a ♥. I would have returned a ♣ at trick two, and upon getting a negative signal, tried a ♦ if I as thrown in with a ♠. This way I get a shot at either minor.

What clue did West have? Well, East signalled for a ♦ while he himself can see the ♦KQT, what else can he return when he wins the third round of ♥ but a ♦. He too can see the ♠ danger. I can't imagine ever leading a ♠ here...even if you talk declarer out of a ♠ hook if he has the ♠J this just can't be the winning play.

But on the other hand, how in the world can EAST pitch a ♣ on the third ♥? I don't generally use o/e discards, but if I did, the obvious discard seems to me to be the ♠8 to ask for a ♦.

Clearly not a sterling defense...
Trick one.. ♥2 queen wins.. seems normal
Trick two.. ♥ return, seems very wrong, so demerits EAST
Trick three.. ♣ discard, not fatal, but also seems wrong,
Trick four.. ♠ exit... is suicidal and is final error, and ignores partner's "carefully" planned call for a ♦ lead.

So EAST made two mistakes, but West made the biggest. I guess lets call it roughly equal. But EAST could have masterminded the defense (with a switch at trick two, or a safe ♠ discard, so I give EAST 55% to blame.

Ben

[Free]

East can't know the contract goes down when partner shifts to ♦, so he should indeed discard a ♠ showing interest in ♦. But the extreme blaim imo is for West. He doesn't trust his partner's discard! If your partner yells DIAMONDS PLZ and you have the K, don't hesitate and play small ♦!

West 65%
East 35%