[Walddk]

Scoring: IMP

S: 4S
Lead: C8

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A most interesting hand from a thrilling finish to the Israeli Teams Championship on BBO vugraph Saturday. As South you are in 4♠ after East opened a natural 1♣. You doubled and no more bidding by EW.

The lead is ♣8 to East's ace; a club is returned to your king and the 3 from West, indicating a doubleton.

How do you proceed from there? Three lines seem possible:

1) Knock out ♠A.
2) Take a heart finesse. If it wins, lead a spade up.
3) Heart to the king and a spade up.

What do you fancy?

Roland

[Echognome]

Put me down for line 3. There is not much room for west to hold a Q much less an A. So I don't want to take a losing heart finesse and suddenly have trump pressure when another club comes through. I'm going to go over to the ♥K and leading a trump up. If the ♠A is stiff, this might save me some difficult handling later. If it's not, then it's likely that spades break.

[bhall]

Either red queen would give East a full opener. It is likely that I must lose to a club (over)ruff, regardless of leading to the ♠J. So, I will play to the ♠K and ruff the ♣Q low. Assuming West does overruff and return a trump, I now have time to play on ♦, determining the shape of the hidden hands.

East may show with a stiff ♥. The ♦QJ may fall. A squeeze may develop. Or the horse may sing...

[jtfanclub]

Ummmmm.... AK of diamond and another diamond, ruffing with the Q if it's covered, sluffing a club if it's not?

1) If it's covered and I win, low spade to the jack, if allowed to win, low spade around. On the club return, sluff my losing heart. On a club continuation, I've got the last trump pinned.

2) If it's covered and overruffed with the ace, sluff my losing heart on the club continuation, win the next club in dummy.

3) If it's not covered and won by RHO, I'm out of clubs in dummy, so I sluff a heart on a club continuation and ruff minimum on the board.

I'm still not home yet, but I think it's my best chance. It takes Ax of spades by RHO, plus some other combos that'll pop up if I'm very lucky.


Too silly, I'm sure.

[pclayton]

bhall, on Dec 29 2007, 09:32 PM, said:

Either red queen would give East a full opener. It is likely that I must lose to a club (over)ruff, regardless of leading to the ♠J. So, I will play to the ♠K and ruff the ♣Q low. Assuming West does overruff and return a trump, I now have time to play on ♦, determining the shape of the hidden hands.

East may show with a stiff ♥. The ♦QJ may fall. A squeeze may develop. Or the horse may sing...

Agree. I'll give up the club overruff to give myself some later chances in the red suits.

jtfanclub, on Dec 29 2007, 10:17 PM, said:

Ummmmm.... AK of diamond and another diamond, ruffing with the Q if it's covered, sluffing a club if it's not?

I don't like this line (it can lead to various uppercuts), but don't feel bad that it occurred to you. One idea I played with for a few minutes was the ♥AK and the ♣J pitching the 3rd heart

[xcurt]

I would take line 3.

T1: CA
T2: CK
T3: HK
T4: Spade x-x-J-x
T5: Spade x-x-Q-A
T6: CQ and you pitch the heart
T7: H->A
T8: SK

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North to lead.

with no trumps out and declarer needing the remainder, LHO is caught in a criss-cross ruffing squeeze.

This line also has good chances if RHO has A, xxx, ???, AQxxxx (but you will probably go down if RHO has A, Qxx, ???, AQxxxx).

Curt