[han]

Neither declarer nor the defense played perfectly on this hand but the ending was nice:

Scoring: IMP

1D - Dbl - 1H - 1NT
p - 2NT - 3H - 3NT
all pass

---

Yes maybe my 3NT bid was nuts but there I was in a perfectly reasonable contract. A forcing pass would have been nice but is pass forcing?

West lead the diamond 4 which I won with the queen in dummy. I played a club to the 10 and LHO won the club and continued with the diamond king. RHO pitched a heart and I ducked. LHO played a club and the play continued as follows:

I played a spade to the king, cashed the ace-king of hearts with west pitching diamonds. I came to hand with a club and lead a second spade up in this ending:

Scoring: IMP

1D - Dbl - 1H - 1NT
p - 2NT - 3H - 3NT
all pass

---

LHO was dead. If he went up with the ace I could pitch the 8, keeping the 2 to endplay him after the spade return. If LHO instead played the 10 then I could win and return the 8.

So what was the problem? Well, LHO could have beaten me by pitching a spade and a diamond instead of two diamonds. Then if I follow the same line he can win the ace and return a spade. If I win this then I can't endplay him, but if I duck then I don't score any spade tricks, either way I end up down 1.

But I could always have made it by cashing at most one heart, I should never give RHO the opportunity to pitch the spade. I believe that the theme remains exactly the same if I win the ace on the second round of diamonds.

Please let me know if I missed something.

[han]

I corrected some of the RHO's into LHO's, sorry early readers.

I also noticed (with the help of GIB) that the contract can be beaten double dummy. Do you see how?

[gwnn]

ok Han don't be falsely unmodest. it's the hand of your lifetime.

[gnasher]

Your 3NT seems normal, given that pass would be non-forcing. 3NT is, after all, what you were abut to bid before RHO bid 3H.

Now, I'm sorry to spoil a good story, but can't you make it almost trivially by taking DA at trick three? Spade to the king, 0, 1 or 2 top hearts, two rounds of clubs, spade seems to do the job.

Without the help of GIB, it looks to me as though West can beat it by winning the club and returning a club. If the play then continues: spade to the king, club to the ace, spade to the queen, spade, West cashes his spades and exits with a low diamond to dummy's queen.

As the play went at the table, West's mistake was to weaken his diamond holding by playing DK at trick 3.

[han]

Don't worry about spoiling the story but I don't understand your comment.

If you take the diamond ace, cash two hearts (RHO will pitch a spade on the second high heart) cash two clubs and play a spade up then this gives you exactly the same problem. RHO will hop up and exit with his third spade. If you win then you have to give RHO the setting tricks. If you duck then LHO will exit with a small diamond and again you go down.

It seems to me that, as I said in the original post, it is exactly the same whether you take the ace of diamonds or not. The mistake is cashing the second round of hearts.

I don't understand your comment about how west could beat it. The diamond queen was played at trick 1 already.

[gnasher]

han, on Feb 15 2008, 02:31 AM, said:

I don't see the make you mention. If you take the diamond ace, cash two hearts (RHO will pitch a spade on the second high heart) cash two clubs and spade up gives you exactly the same problem. RHO will hop up, and exit a spade. If you win then you have to give RHO the setting tricks. If you duck then LHO will exit with a small diamond and again you go down.

It seems to me that, as I said in the original post, it is exactly the same whether you take the ace of diamonds or not. The mistake is cashing the second round of hearts.

I have played DQ, losing C finesse, DA, S to king, heart, club, club, spade. I have two spades, two hearts, one diamond and two clubs, which adds up to eight. After scoring my spade tricks, I will exit with the third or fourth round, endplaying West to give me D9. West will score two spades, one club and one diamond.

The difference is that I took DA without losing a diamond trick, thus scoring a diamond trick whilst preserving a minor tenace against West. By ducking, you kept a major tenace, but cut yourself off from the ace of diamonds.

Quote

I don't understand your comment about how west could beat it. The diamond queen was played at trick 1 already.

Sorry - that was gibberish. I shouldn't post whilst drunk.

[han]

You are right, good point.

[gnasher]

han, on Feb 15 2008, 02:49 AM, said:

You are right, good point.

Sorry, "almost trivially" was a bit harsh.

Upon sober reflection, I think the only way to beat it is to lead a spade, and play another one when in with the club. Is that what GIB said?

[han]

Yep, that's the only way to beat it.

You really don't need to apologize for being too blunt. After all, the story of the hand remains the same: poor early plays lead to a neat ending.