[kfay]

Scoring: MP

(3♣)-4♠

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LHO leads the ♣10. RHO overtakes with the J and returns a low ♣.

Plan the play.

[cnszsun]

Spoiler

Unless west holds stiff ♠Ace, we can't afford to pitch now. So i will ruff high, play ♦J, contract will be depedent on ♦KQx in west.

[jocdelevat]

I ruff with high spade. then play j diamond towards a9 and cover if op cover or leave it if not cover. If rho cover I finnesse again next time i get the hand.
I have a problem if op cover with ace spade my ruff and play a heart then I should play all the spades and at the end finnesse the diamond.

[rogerclee]

Is it possible to make this without defensive error?

[kfay]

rogerclee, on Jan 10 2008, 01:28 AM, said:

Is it possible to make this without defensive error?

Yes

[matmat]

kfay, on Jan 10 2008, 01:34 AM, said:

rogerclee, on Jan 10 2008, 01:28 AM, said:

Is it possible to make this without defensive error?

Yes

On any reasonable lie of the cards, or just the one you came across this time?

[rogerclee]

Well, I ruff with the T at T2. If LHO pitches, I play him for KQx of diamonds and try to take a heart pitch.

If LHO overruffs with his marked A, he does best to fire back a heart, which I duck. Now I must play for a red-suit squeeze on W (requires him to have either any 6 hearts or KQJT as well as the KQ of diamonds or RHO having stiff honor), keeping the ♥5 menace in dummy by ruffing a club back to my hand if necessary.

I hope there is a line much better than this one, because this one is not going to work =/.

[kfay]

jocdelevat, on Jan 10 2008, 01:25 AM, said:

I ruff with high spade. then play j diamond towards a9 and cover if op cover or leave it if not cover. If rho cover I finnesse again next time i get the hand.
I have a problem if op cover with ace spade my ruff and play a heart then I should play all the spades and at the end finnesse the diamond.

If you look down the road some you can discern a defense that causes this line to fail.

Let's say you draw trumps first. Whoever wins the ♠A returns a ♥ and now you can't enjoy the ♦9 to pitch a heart on.

AHA! Let's lead the ♦10 now. LHO covers (from KQ...'*$#@') so we return a low ♦ to the J and now LHO leads a 3rd diamond, which RHO ruffs.

If RHO holds a diamond honor then he'll return a heart and sink you.

[jtfanclub]

In theory, you might be able to develop a trick by ducking the club, sluffing a heart. Let's say that they return a heart. You take the ace, and attempt a ruffing finesse, sluffing a diamond if RHO doesn't cover.

However, there are problems with this. They can still kill the entry to dummy when they get in with a top spade, so you'll have to hope that either the clubs are 4-4 or the hand with the short clubs has a singleton spade.

Better than nothing, I suppose.

[ArtK78]

jtfanclub, on Jan 10 2008, 09:43 AM, said:

In theory, you might be able to develop a trick by ducking the club, sluffing a heart. Let's say that they return a heart. You take the ace, and attempt a ruffing finesse, sluffing a diamond if RHO doesn't cover.

However, there are problems with this. They can still kill the entry to dummy when they get in with a top spade, so you'll have to hope that either the clubs are 4-4 or the hand with the short clubs has a singleton spade.

Better than nothing, I suppose.

A ruffing finesse with what? The Q9 of clubs through RHO's AK?

[jtfanclub]

ArtK78, on Jan 10 2008, 09:47 AM, said:

A ruffing finesse with what?  The Q9 of clubs through RHO's AK?

I played low to trick 2. Assume LHO cannot ruff (we're in desperation mode already). If LHO doesn't play the A or K, then we have our extra trick. If he does, then RHO has (hopefully) Ax or Kx left, and we have the Q9 on the board.

Doesn't seem likely, but hey, it's better odds than playing LHO for exactly the KQ tight in diamonds....

I didn't notice auction. OK, this seems even less likely, you're right. May as well duck and pray that RHO only has 6 clubs.

[kfay]

Here's the whole hand:

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[ArtK78]

jtfanclub, on Jan 10 2008, 09:51 AM, said:

ArtK78, on Jan 10 2008, 09:47 AM, said:

A ruffing finesse with what?  The Q9 of clubs through RHO's AK?

I played low to trick 2. Assume LHO cannot ruff (we're in desperation mode already). If LHO doesn't play the A or K, then we have our extra trick. If he does, then RHO has (hopefully) Ax or Kx left, and we have the Q9 on the board.

Doesn't seem likely, but hey, it's better odds than playing LHO for exactly the KQ tight in diamonds....

I didn't notice auction. OK, this seems even less likely, you're right. May as well duck and pray that RHO only has 6 clubs.

The play went ♣10 lead to the ♣J, and then a LOW club.

RHO still has the Ace AND King of clubs left.

Yes, it is possible that RHO has only 6 clubs and you can score the ♣Q at trick 2. Not likely, but possible.

On the actual lie of the cards, LHO is going to be ground to a pulp on the run of the spades as long as declarer ruffs high on the second round of clubs and pulls trump. But declarer must lose trick one, and the ♠A and ANOTHER TRICK before running the spades. So, when LHO wins the ♠A and returns a top heart, declarer must duck, win the second round, ruff a club HIGH and run the spades.