[pclayton]

Dayou Zhou played an interesting 4H contract on Sunday:

Scoring: IMP

---

LHO is a student and RHO is her teacher. LHO leads the ♦A, RHO discouraging.

LHO shifts to a low spade, small, small, 10.

Now what?

[karlson]

It looks right to start with a club. Unfortunately, they can start attacking my entries with either a heart or a spade, and I won't be able to ruff a club and draw trump. I'll be reduced to playing for 3-3 trumps, or what seems to be the extremely unlikely diamond finesse.

The alternative is perhaps drawing trumps right away, cashing the spades pitching a diamond, and exiting CK. If lefty wins this and led the stiff DA (if we're really sure lefty has CA, we can maybe cash DK too), or if righty has both the A and Q of clubs, this will work. Also, if trumps were 3-3, we can play DK, ruff a diamond, and then club, catering to 3-2 diamonds and losing only to CA on right and CQ on left if that's the case.

I think I'll try the second line. The chances for misdefense if I play a club now seem negligible -- I can't see them playing anything but a spade or a heart.

Other alternatives like playing a diamond now don't appeal - they risk going down on very common layouts.

[Echognome]

Who do we think has the ♦Q? I'd be quite surprised if it's in opening leader's hand. Who's leading A from AQx(x)? So opening leader either has A or Ax(x). So why did RHO discourage?

Gonna think about it more.

[karlson]

Especially since dummy probably showed diamonds on the auction, I can't imagine the lead being from AQx. If it was from AQxx and she was planning on giving partner a ruff, then I don't see why she would have changed tack.

Perhaps righty discouraged on general principles thinking that the diamonds were setting up, and a switch was needed to attack dummy's entries. Students/clients have been known to follow partner's signals blindly.

[cherdano]

karlson, on May 27 2008, 04:50 PM, said:

Especially since dummy probably showed diamonds on the auction, I can't imagine the lead being from AQx. If it was from AQxx and she was planning on giving partner a ruff, then I don't see why she would have changed tack.

Perhaps righty discouraged on general principles thinking that the diamonds were setting up, and a switch was needed to attack dummy's entries. Students/clients have been known to follow partner's signals blindly.

The lead can't be from AQxx since Phil would have told us RHO's spot, rather than "RHO discouraged". I don't think there is much to choose between a lead from AQ(x) or from Ax(x) after LHO has shown diamonds, they seem equally bad.
However, given that LHO is a "student" I agree with your guess that it is probably from A or Ax.

[Echognome]

karlson, on May 27 2008, 02:50 PM, said:

Especially since dummy probably showed diamonds on the auction, I can't imagine the lead being from AQx. If it was from AQxx and she was planning on giving partner a ruff, then I don't see why she would have changed tack.

Perhaps righty discouraged on general principles thinking that the diamonds were setting up, and a switch was needed to attack dummy's entries. Students/clients have been known to follow partner's signals blindly.

Agreed or perhaps the whole "discouraging" business is just wrong. Perhaps the teacher is thinking his student led a stiff A and is giving suit preference.

[pclayton]

Maybe RHO (Joel Hoersch) didn't want to encourage with Qxxx since they don't have a 2nd cashing trick. Even the most obtuse client wouldn't lead a diamond with AQx(x) here either. The AD is almost certainly a singleton.

I think its obvious where the AC is too, which should lead you to the right line which is the one Victor states. WD.

[Echognome]

pclayton, on May 27 2008, 05:34 PM, said:

Maybe RHO (Joel Hoersch) didn't want to encourage with Qxxx since they don't have a 2nd cashing trick. Even the most obtuse client wouldn't lead a diamond with AQx(x) here either. The AD is almost certainly a singleton.

I think its obvious where the AC is too, which should lead you to the right line which is the one Victor states. WD.

I'm just confused about this line. Suppose trumps are 4-2. We've drawn trumps. We've cashed spades. Now we play a club to the K. It holds. Now what?

[pclayton]

Echognome, on May 27 2008, 05:41 PM, said:

pclayton, on May 27 2008, 05:34 PM, said:

Maybe RHO (Joel Hoersch) didn't want to encourage with Qxxx since they don't have a 2nd cashing trick. Even the most obtuse client wouldn't lead a diamond with AQx(x) here either. The AD is almost certainly a singleton.

I think its obvious where the AC is too, which should lead you to the right line which is the one Victor states. WD.

I'm just confused about this line. Suppose trumps are 4-2. We've drawn trumps. We've cashed spades. Now we play a club to the K. It holds. Now what?

LOLOL Gnooommmmeeeeeee....

We cash the KD and go home. Thats number 10.

[pclayton]

The line of cashing our eight major suit winners and exiting the ♣K is the winner. LHO has Jxxx Txxx A Axxx

Trumps and spades are 4-2, so the hand gets hopelessly tangled if you try to ruff a club.

[nige1]

pclayton, on May 27 2008, 10:57 AM, said:

Scoring: IMP

Dayou Zhou played an interesting 4H contract on Sunday: LHO is a student and RHO is her teacher. LHO leads the ♦A, RHO discouraging.
LHO shifts to a low spade, small, small, 10.

---

My guess: Win ♠T and lead a ♦

• If LHO follows than play ♦K and another
  
• If LHO ruffs (A tyro might do so) then hope he was dealt 3 or 4 trumps and ♣A, so you can ruff finesse ♦ later.
  
• If LHO discards, then try ♦KJ hoping for a 3-3 trump break.

[pclayton]

nige1, on May 30 2008, 12:03 PM, said:

pclayton, on May 27 2008, 10:57 AM, said:

Scoring: IMP

Dayou Zhou played an interesting 4H contract on Sunday: LHO is a student and RHO is her teacher. LHO leads the ♦A, RHO discouraging.
LHO shifts to a low spade, small, small, 10.

---

My guess: Win ♠T and lead a ♦

• If LHO follows than play ♦K and another
  
• If LHO ruffs (A tyro might do so) then hope he was dealt 3 or 4 trumps and ♣A, so you can ruff finesse ♦ later.
  
• IF LHO discards, then try ♦KJ hoping for a 3-3 trump break.

Yes, you would need a 3-3 heart split, since LHO will pitch on the diamond, and RHO will play a 4th.

I think you would agree the throw-in is a lot better.

[nige1]

pclayton, on May 30 2008, 03:19 PM, said:

Yes, you would need a 3-3 heart split, since LHO will pitch on the diamond, and RHO will play a 4th.

I think you would agree the throw-in is a lot better.

The endplay is pretty ... and I wish I'd thought of it

[SOUR_GRAPES]
... but it succeeds only when ...

• LHO has a singleton ♦A and ♣A
  
• or RHO has both ♣ honours
  
• or LHO led ♦A from ♦AQxx

[/SOUR_GRAPES]

[pclayton]

nige1, on May 30 2008, 01:17 PM, said:

pclayton, on May 30 2008, 03:19 PM, said:

Yes, you would need a 3-3 heart split, since LHO will pitch on the diamond, and RHO will play a 4th.

I think you would agree the throw-in is a lot better.

The endplay is pretty ... and I wish I'd thought of it

[SOUR_GRAPES]
... but it succeeds only when ...

• LHO has a singleton ♦A and ♣A
  
• or RHO has both ♣ honours.
  
• or LHO led ♦A from ♦AQ..

[/SOUR_GRAPES]

You're a good analyst. Look closer. It doesn't need ♣AQ onside.