[djehuti]

Scoring: IMP

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Pass-(Pass)-1♦ - (4♥)
Pass - (Pass) - X (ugh) - all pass

Partner leads ♦T , declarer plays the King. Leads are 1-3-5

Edit: Obviously the options under "Duck the ♦King" are assuming you won with the ace.

[whereagles]

I'm just going to take the ♦A and lead the ♣A to see what happens.....

[Apollo81]

ditto, ♦A, ♣A

I'd like partner's feedback before making a more committal play.

[Halo]

Duck the diamond.

I trust partner doesn't have 4 diamonds, and I'd like to limit declarer to one play from dummy.

[Fluffy]

♦A then low club, don't wanna kill partner's Q or KJ

[Echognome]

Fluffy, on Dec 19 2007, 11:09 AM, said:

♦A then low club, don't wanna kill partner's Q or KJ

I thought about this defense, but felt it was too likely declarer had a stiff K. He did overcall 4♥ after all.

[whereagles]

Halo, on Dec 19 2007, 06:57 PM, said:

Duck the diamond.

I trust partner doesn't have 4 diamonds, and I'd like to limit declarer to one play from dummy.

If declarer stays in dummy, his next move will be a heart to the hand, after which your Q is trapped. Besides, if he has 2 diamonds, you won't stop him from reaching dummy.. whereas if he has 1 diamond, you've just blown 2 tricks

[nick_s]

Let's try to make sure we beat this rather than looking for a big penalty.

I'll guess that declarer has 8 hearts to the KJT and AS. Together with QD in dummy that makes 9 tricks if he picks up my QH. He only has 1 possible entry to dummy (QD), so I don't want to lead a club or spade to allow him to make a possible KC or QS.

I'm leading a small diamond after winning the Ace. If this gives declarer a discard and an entry, it's still not the 10th trick.

[Apollo81]

Apollo81, on Dec 19 2007, 01:48 PM, said:

ditto, ♦A, ♣A

I'd like partner's feedback before making a more committal play.

Another possible play is ♦A, spade. That is probably roughly as good as cashing ♣A, but it risks extreme embarassment when declarer started with ♠AQx ♥KJ109xxxx ♦x ♣x

[ASkolnick]

I am going to play the AD, then a small spade.

I am not ducking the diamond in case he has 4.
If partner has QS, or AS, I have set up the trick earlier and I still have the Ace of trumps.

I don't think LHO has both the ASQS and a stiff diamond, and will sell out to that if that it was LHO has.

If LHO has KJ of clubs, I may need him to guess by underleading the AC, so I won't commit originally. I think uncapping the AC can be a serious mistake, since if he has the KC, its OK unless club is doubleton and diamond is stiff.

[Echognome]

Apollo81, on Dec 19 2007, 11:56 AM, said:

Apollo81, on Dec 19 2007, 01:48 PM, said:

ditto, ♦A, ♣A

I'd like partner's feedback before making a more committal play.

Another possible play is ♦A, spade. That is probably roughly as good as cashing ♣A, but it risks extreme embarassment when declarer started with ♠AQx ♥KJ109xxxx ♦x ♣x

To Alex's point, why would partner be leading a diamond if he held KQJx in clubs? So probably a spade back is alright.

[awm]

Echognome, on Dec 19 2007, 03:01 PM, said:

To Alex's point, why would partner be leading a diamond if he held KQJx in clubs? So probably a spade back is alright.

Who's Alex? And why are we making up names for people now?

It seems unlikely to me that ducking the diamond or leading a diamond back can gain. Partner can easily have ♦T9xx and giving declarer a discard seems non-useful. If partner has doubleton diamond, we should get two tricks with the ♦AJ no matter what we do. Singleton diamond is possible but unlikely and again we're assured of two tricks and unlikely to get more than three by returning the suit right off. Partner did lead our suit after all, he will usually lead our suit when nothing obvious (like ♣KQJx) presents itself.

There are definitely positions where a spade back is right, but often the spade situation can wait. Leading the club ace lets us get a signal from partner as to what we should do next. Low club can win in the specific situation where declarer has ♣KJ(x) but will be an amazing disaster if declarer has singleton club king!

[Echognome]

awm, on Dec 19 2007, 12:11 PM, said:

Echognome, on Dec 19 2007, 03:01 PM, said:

To Alex's point, why would partner be leading a diamond if he held KQJx in clubs?  So probably a spade back is alright.

Who's Alex? And why are we making up names for people now?

I did make up a name didn't I. I was referring to ASkolnick not Apollo whom I know is Noble.

[Apollo81]

Echognome, on Dec 19 2007, 03:01 PM, said:

Apollo81, on Dec 19 2007, 11:56 AM, said:

Apollo81, on Dec 19 2007, 01:48 PM, said:

ditto, ♦A, ♣A

I'd like partner's feedback before making a more committal play.

Another possible play is ♦A, spade. That is probably roughly as good as cashing ♣A, but it risks extreme embarassment when declarer started with ♠AQx ♥KJ109xxxx ♦x ♣x

To Alex's point, why would partner be leading a diamond if he held KQJx in clubs? So probably a spade back is alright.

Replace the ♣x with any singleton honor and partner's lead is now viable.

[mikeh]

A♦, then A♣.

As others have written, ducking the ♦ is not going to be very good if partner holds 4 of them. It is likely irrelevant, in terms of red suit tricks if partner has 2 or 3 of them, and I am not playing him for a stiff. If opener has 4 diamonds, and ruffs the club A, he still has to get to dummy, and he can't.

As for the club play, I'd love to play against players who underlead the Ace

Declarer is allowed to hold the stiff K and if he has Kx, no declarer with a pulse is ducking, nor, on the auction, is a good player ducking with KJ. So the A caters only to KJx and now declarer is probably going wrong because he is desperate. That's a narrow target, and who says that he will get it right when I continue a low club anyway?

[djehuti]

Thanks for the replies.
The actual hand was ♠A ♥KJTxxxxx ♦ xx ♣Kx.
Wait no, i think that's the one i dreamed, the actual was ♠AQ ♥KJTxxxxx ♦xx ♣x.hmmm or was it ♠AQx ♥KJTxxxxx ♦x ♣x..... no that's from a reply.
AHH! ♠ Ax ♥KJTxxxxx ♦x ♣KQ well done non diamonds