[jahol]

Make 4 spades with the following

dummy:...J10x---xxxx---Kxx---Kxx
you:.........AKxxxx--Ax---QJ----Axx

when the opps passed during the auction and small club was the first lead.

[rogerclee]

Good problem.

Hint:

Spoiler

Consider your entry management carefully.

[ArcLight]

Spoiler

We have 3 losers in Clubs, Dimes, Hearts. I will assuem Spades are 2-2. We have no knowledge of distribution inother suits (liek a 6-2 Dime break) to make us think trumps are 3-1.

Win in hand, preserving the lone dummy entry for a discard on the Diamonds
Cash the trump Ace and King. The Spade Jack will suffice as the 2nd entry we need. We are down on a 3-1 break if teh Q doiesnt drop.

Play the Dime Q and J if the Ace isnt taken when the Q is played. Win the Club return in dummy, unblock the Dimes, enter dummy via the trump. And discard a Club on the Dime K.


The only thing to this hand is realizing not to burn a dummy entry, which seems very obvious since dummy has so few.

In fact, this seems ridiculously easy, so waht am I missing?


If you told me that RHO holds 3 Spades to the Q I would play as follows:
trick 2 -Cash Spade Ace.
trick 3 - run the Dime J and hope West holds up the Ace of Dimes until the 2nd round
Trick 4 lose the Dime Q
trick 5 win the club in dummy
trick 6 dime K for a discard of Clubs
T7,8 finesse Spades by running the J and T

[FrancesHinden]

Quote

In fact, this seems ridiculously easy, so waht am I missing?

You can still make it in more layouts than the ones you mention.

[rogerclee]

FrancesHinden, on Jan 29 2008, 09:17 AM, said:

Quote

In fact, this seems ridiculously easy, so waht am I missing?

You can still make it in more layouts than the ones you mention.

Agree, and (hidden):

Spoiler

Indeed, virtually all layouts.

[ArcLight]

Oh! I see what I missed

Doh!

Spoiler

Win the Club in hand
Cash the Spade Ace
Play the Dime J (assuem it loses to teh Ace)
Win teh Club return in dummy
unblock the Dime Q
Play a low spade towards the J T in ddummy.
Assume its taken by the Q.
Opps cash a Club, then lead a heart which you win
Pull spades ending in dummy and discard a heart on the Dime.

Good problem

[y66]

We can make 5 spades, a heart, 2 diamonds and 2 clubs. But we may have trouble getting to dummy to make our 2nd diamond.

We have 2 entries: CK and spade jack or ten.

CA, preserving CK entry, then DQ. If they win and return club, then CA, diamond to jack, spade to jack. If jack wins, then DK pitching heart. If they take SQ, then club, then club, I will ruff 4th club high in hand, then top spade, then spade to ten, then DK pitching heart.

Don't know if we can always make this if spades are 4-0. Will work on that on the subway which I am now running late for

Thanks for the problem.

[vuroth]

The danger on this hand is ♦ being 6-2. Cashing the AK♠ will make on any 2-2 trump split, including when ♦ are 6-2. The question is can I improve on that?

Low ♠ to J. If it holds, cash AK♠ then QJ♦. Fails if one opponent has 4♠ and 2♦, and his partner wins the second round of ♦ and continues a ♦ to be ruffed.

Low ♠ to J losing to Q. Best return is a ♣. Win K, low to A♠, QJ♦. Loses as above when A♦ is opposite 2♦ and 3 or 4♠.

V

Edit - read the others, and I agree that trying a ♦ first to entice the opponents to make a mistake is good. The hand is trickier, I think, if they duck the first ♦.

This post has been edited by vuroth: 2008-January-29, 09:50