[FrancesHinden]

From a league match last night against competent but not brilliant opponents.

Scoring: IMP

2♣ P 2♦ 2♥
P P 3♣ P
3♦ P 4♣ P
4♠ P 6♦ all pass

---

2♣ = game forcing if unbalanced (North was (sub)minimum for this)
2♦ = negative or waiting (other bids are natural positives)
pass over 2♥ = unbalanced, 2- or 3-suiter
3♣ = not interested in defending
rest natural

LHO leads the ace of hearts on which RHO plays a supposedly 'discouraging' card but they won't signal helpfully.

LHO continues with the queen of hearts, to which RHO will follow.

It's a very good contract.
What's the right line?

Answers should mention if your line is affected by whether RHO started with 2 or 3 hearts.

I'll tell you in advance that diamonds are not 5-0, but of course you don't know that at the table.

[655321]

♥K, pitching a spade.
♣A (making some attempt at catching Kx of clubs)
♥x. If RHO follows or pitches, we can ruff low. Or, RHO can ruff, forcing out our ♦9.
Either way, now ruff a club (cheating, perhaps, because we 'know' diamonds are not 5-0, but I think I would do this anyway).
Now:
(1) If the ♣K has not come down, and our ♦9 has gone, I just run the diamonds, then play spades from the top, in case the ♠J comes down, or there is a black suit squeeze.
(2) But if we were able to ruff a heart low, play 3 rounds of spades, ruffing the 3rd round with the ♦9, making if spades are not 5-1.

[gnasher]

♥K, ♦A (in case they're 5-0), H ruff, C ruff, trumps. My basic plan is to play for SJ to come down or for the same hand to have CK and SJ.

I'd follow that line even if West turned out to be 6=1 in the reds - xxx AQJxxx x Kxx opposite Jxx xxx xxxx xxx is clearly consistent with them bidding to only 2♥, whereas with Jxxx AQJxxx x xx opposite xx xxx xxxx Kxxx someone might have bid to the three level. And it means that I don't have to think in the ending.

Another line, which seems less good to me, is to draw one trump and then test the spades, gaining when West has ♠xx, ♦x and ♣K. A disadvantage of this line is that you can't try to ruff out ♣K first, because you will run out of trumps.

Edit: I should have read 655321's answer before posting this - I'd forgotten that we were playing the version of the game where I'm allowed to discard on ♥K. His line gains when West has ♠xx and ♣K, but loses to ♠x and no ♣K. I think that better than my suggestion.

This post has been edited by gnasher: 2008-March-20, 05:23

[Free]

I'd go for the squeeze in the blacks. ♥K (discard a ♣), play 2 rounds of trumps to see if trumps split. Unblock ♣A, ruff the second ♥ with ♦9, ruff a ♣ and play off all your trumps. Now ♠K followed by ♠ to the Ace, keeping ♠QT in dummy and ♠x♣Q in your hand.
If the ♣K didn't fall and ♠J and ♠x are still out you'll have to decide what to do with ♠s.

[whereagles]

Ruff, pull trumps and go for the black squeeze.

[Free]

whereagles, on Mar 20 2008, 02:35 PM, said:

Ruff, pull trumps and go for the black squeeze.

Why not take an extra chance of ♣K being doubleton?

[whereagles]

Hum.. yeah, I can do that.

ruff ♥
unblock ♣A
ruff ♥K
ruff ♣
pull trumps and squeeze / claim.

[Fluffy]

I like 655321's line