[FrancesHinden]

I think this is a bit of a textbook hand which team-mate got right and opponents got wrong. However the BBO forum crowd will find all the nuances I have missed

Scoring: IMP

1♠ x 3♠ x
P 4♥ P P P

---

LHO leads the 6 of spades (3rd & 5th) to RHO's Ace
RHO returns the 10 of clubs

Plan the play

Bonus question: what would you have done on the South cards over the 1S opening?

Edit: Fixed auction

[jtfanclub]

I opened 1 spade with the South hand?

[Apollo81]

jtfanclub, on May 6 2008, 04:50 PM, said:

I opened 1 spade with the South hand?

presumably it went (1♠)-X-(3♠)-X-(p)-4♥ all pass

[gnasher]

I'd win in dummy and play a heart to the king, catering for RHO to have a singleton club and ♥Axx. That also works against any 3-2 break except when:
- East has ♥Qxx and a singleton club
- East has ♥Qx and three clubs (must remember that one)
- Both hearts are offside, in which case we were stuffed anyway.

It doesn't work if RHO has ♥AQ8x. Am I missing something?

I'd have avoided this problem by passing throughout.

This post has been edited by gnasher: 2008-May-06, 16:43

[ArcLight]

>Bonus question: what would you have done on the South cards over the 1S opening?

I think I'd pass. The heart suit is bad, and DBL p 2♦ is not what I'd like to hear.
You have a nice defensive hand over the opening bidder.


Win the club in Dummy, lead a heart tp the King, continue hearts.
This way I can duck a club and East ruffs air.

If you win in hand, then the club return by west must be covered and a Q or K is ruffed.

[karlson]

It seems like if we take the line above (win in dummy, heart to the K), they don't have to continue clubs. If they're 4-1 as it seems, we're left with the D hook or squeeze, neither of which is very likely to work.

If righty is not the creative sort, I think we have to win the club in hand, cross to the DA, and then play a heart to the K. Run the C9 eventually, and pay off to the falsecard from JT(x)(x).

I think one should do this even against a thinking player though. If east knew you had 5 hearts, then with JTx of clubs, he'd probably know you're cold, and may well try something bizarre. But since it sounds like you have 4 hearts on the auction, I think normal defense for east would be to play another spade, hoping to tap one of the hands and create another trump winner.



I like the double.

[Apollo81]

gnasher, on May 6 2008, 06:29 PM, said:

I'd win in dummy and play a heart to the king, catering for RHO to have a singleton club and ♥Axx.  That also works against any 3-2 break except when:
- East has ♥Qxx and a singleton club
- East has ♥Qx and three clubs (must remember that one)
- Both hearts are offside, in which case we were stuffed anyway.

It doesn't work if RHO has ♥AQ8x.  Am I missing something?

I'd have avoided this problem by passing throughout.

What you're missing is that you have a club loser if you play this way. You have to win in hand and lead the ♣9 when it comes time to play clubs to avoid one.

Anyway I would play RHO for A???? A?x ?xxx T, so I would win the ♣A, lead a diamond to dummy, and lead a low heart to the king and a second heart from hand. Later I am planning to run the ♣9 if I lose two heart tricks.

[cnszsun]

If ♣10 is a real card, we surely want to win it in hand, go to dummy with ♦A, and play ♥ to K. Otherwise, how do we handle west's ♣J8xx.

[gnasher]

OK, I woke up this morning realising what I'd missed. To avoid a club loser, I could:
(1) Win in hand, play a diamond to dummy, lead a heart to the king, and later finesse twice in clubs if it seems sensible. I might have to decide about that quite early - if West wins ♥Q he will play a club immediately.
(2) Win in dummy, play a heart to the king and another heart. If East started with ♥Ax he'll be endplayed.
(3) Win in dummy, play a heart to the king, three rounds of diamonds, and another heart. If West started with ♥Qx and four clubs he'll be endplayed.

Line (3) loses to East's Axxxx Ax Qxxxx 10, but avoids the ignominy of going down when East started with ♣J10. I'd do that.

Edit: Forgot to mention that in lines (2) and (3) I'd cash ♠K after winning ♥K.

This post has been edited by gnasher: 2008-May-07, 01:47

[pclayton]

Apollo81, on May 6 2008, 04:49 PM, said:

gnasher, on May 6 2008, 06:29 PM, said:

I'd win in dummy and play a heart to the king, catering for RHO to have a singleton club and ♥Axx.  That also works against any 3-2 break except when:
- East has ♥Qxx and a singleton club
- East has ♥Qx and three clubs (must remember that one)
- Both hearts are offside, in which case we were stuffed anyway.

It doesn't work if RHO has ♥AQ8x.  Am I missing something?

I'd have avoided this problem by passing throughout.

What you're missing is that you have a club loser if you play this way. You have to win in hand and lead the ♣9 when it comes time to play clubs to avoid one.

Anyway I would play RHO for A???? A?x ?xxx T, so I would win the ♣A, lead a diamond to dummy, and lead a low heart to the king and a second heart from hand. Later I am planning to run the ♣9 if I lose two heart tricks.

This seems right too. I think we all are going down with AQ8x onside.

[whereagles]

Bidding was ace. The line of ♣A, ♦A, ♥ to K seems fine.

[y66]

Taking Noble's line here for reasons he gave.

[FrancesHinden]

Apollo81, on May 7 2008, 01:49 AM, said:

gnasher, on May 6 2008, 06:29 PM, said:

I'd win in dummy and play a heart to the king, catering for RHO to have a singleton club and ♥Axx.  That also works against any 3-2 break except when:
- East has ♥Qxx and a singleton club
- East has ♥Qx and three clubs (must remember that one)
- Both hearts are offside, in which case we were stuffed anyway.

It doesn't work if RHO has ♥AQ8x.  Am I missing something?

I'd have avoided this problem by passing throughout.

What you're missing is that you have a club loser if you play this way. You have to win in hand and lead the ♣9 when it comes time to play clubs to avoid one.

Anyway I would play RHO for A???? A?x ?xxx T, so I would win the ♣A, lead a diamond to dummy, and lead a low heart to the king and a second heart from hand. Later I am planning to run the ♣9 if I lose two heart tricks.

Yes, this is the layout (RHO has AJ10xx Axx Qxxx 10).

gnasher's line (3) also works.

[gnasher]

FrancesHinden, on May 12 2008, 06:16 PM, said:

gnasher's line (3) also works.

Yes, but it was still rubbish.