[Walddk]

Scoring: IMP

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In the Camrose match between Wales and England this hand was bid to slam at both tables. The bidding at one table went ...

Pass 1NT 4♠ 6♦
all pass

The opening was (in theory) 15-17, so you decide to have a punt at slam. You may not like it at these colours but that's beside the point.

West leads ♥7. How do you play the hand?

Roland

[Echognome]

Two rounds of trumps, three rounds of hearts and lead a club ducking entirely (even if an honor appears).

Makes if righty has something like KJ9xxxxx xx xx A.

[jdonn]

weird lead, could RHO really have NINE spades? I guess so. It looks like we need to set up clubs, so I will win the ace of hearts and cash the DA. If RHO shows out I will play a club up to the king then a club, win the heart return, ruff a club, diamond to the king, ruff a club, etc. If RHO follows to the DA I will play the DQ next and lead a club up etc.

[Walddk]

Echognome, on Jan 14 2008, 10:25 PM, said:

Makes if righty has something like KJ9xxxxx xx xx A.

You think West leads a heart if he has a spade? I can understand your line if you place East with 9-1-2-1 or 9-2-1-1. Legitimate indeed and so is jdonn's. You must decide if East can be without ♣A for his vulnerable 4♠.

It's obvious that one of the lines works (provided that one does) but which? You don't know the auction at the other table of course. If you did, you will no doubt choose the winning approach.

(In the other room East also bid spades and West did not lead one. However, he did not lead a heart either).

Roland

[Walddk]

Scoring: IMP

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Against the Welsh declarer West led ♣A followed by the queen. Nothing more to the play as South was able to set up the 5th club for a spade discard. At that table East bid only 3♠ over 1NT, so declarer would likely also have made the slam on a non-club lead.

Neil Rosen from England was not that lucky. West led ♥7. Rosen now played for East to have the singleton ♣A (as suggested by echognome). Declarer drew trumps, cashed another heart and intended to duck a club to East. That would have worked if ♣A had been singleton because East would then have been endplayed to lead away from ♠K.

Very narrow target to aim at in my opinion, but it would indeed have been spectacular if that had been the layout.

On a heart lead you have to play the contract carefully even if you play for ♣A to be onside. You must win in hand, cash two top trumps ending in your hand and then lead a club up.

It wouldn't matter where you win the first heart if West rises with ♣A, but let's assume that he inserts the jack or queen. Now you must exit with a low club. If you wasted a heart honour from the dummy at trick 1, you are now one entry short to enjoy the 5th club. A competent declarer will foresee that and preserve the extra entry in dummy. Just like Josh Donn showed us.

An instructive deal.

Roland

[pclayton]

I saw this deal played on vg so I didn't want to comment. I'm pretty sure Rosen burned a high heart from dummy at T1, which doomed the contract.

Very instructive hand in that drawing one trump isn't enough (in case East is 1=2 in the reds), but drawing three trump is too many.