[matmat]

auction, non-debatable, this happened at the table, I don't really care if you agree with it or not:

(P) - P - (3♣) - X;
(P) - 3♥ - (P) - 4♣;
(P) - 4♦ - (P) - 4NT;
(P) - 5♣ - (P) - 5♥;
All Pass


dummy:
♠ AKJT8
♥ KT5
♦ AK8
♣ Ax

hand:
♠ Q
♥ J8632
♦ QTxxx
♣ Tx


how do you play the hand if the opening lead is the ♠7?
how do you play the hand if the lead is a small club?

[matmat]

I guess the question is too general, or people are too busy, or I screwed up somewhere. Or just too impatient... Or maybe it's not interesting at all and i put it in the wrong forum

Maybe i should have posed it as a lead problem from the other side.

anyway -- below is the hidden "answer"/comment:

Spoiler

the opening leader held:

7 A97 xx KTxxxxx

On a spade lead declarer guesses the singleton and even if he misguesses trump initially (fourth chair had Qx) by playing low to the 10, can still make by guessing the location of the 9 of hearts, ruffing in with the jack

on a club lead, the declarer will try to pitch their club loser on the spade, and suffer a ruff, then having to guess the HA right.

[mikeh]

You might have waited a while before posting the answer.. which I have not yet looked at.

On the spade lead, this is apparently shortness.. I am usually ok if it is doubleton, but if it is stiff, I have problems if lho holds either Axx or Qxx in trump. If Axx, I need to play a trump to the K. If Qxx, I need to play a trump to the 10.

There is not much to go on here... but maybe with Qxx he'd lead something else, since he'd expect to score the Q anyway. I think it is very close to a pure guess: this morning I play to the K... tomorrow, I play to the 10.

On the low club lead, well, the normal play seems to be to cash two spades. I assume that the second spade gets ruffed and I get tapped. Now I need to find the trumps friendly: I lead low, hoping the Q appears. But if LHO plays low, I am back guessing.... I need lho to have started with Axx or Qxx and I have to guess which. Again, pretty close to a pure guess. On the spade lead, I decided that the spade was slightly (very slightly) more consistent with Axx than Qxx.. on the club lead, I go the other way...

Heck, at least I am pretty sure I made the contract on one of the leads

Maybe the fact that this really is so close to a pure guess is one reason no-one else saw fit to post... or I could be missing something.

[matmat]

mikeh, on Jun 24 2008, 11:02 AM, said:

You might have waited a while before posting the answer.. which I have not yet looked at.

I am not known for my patience.

[matmat]

mikeh, on Jun 24 2008, 11:02 AM, said:

There is not much to go on here... but maybe with Qxx he'd lead something else, since he'd expect to score the Q anyway. I think it is very close to a pure guess: this morning I play to the K... tomorrow, I play to the 10.

playing to the K does, indeed, score you the contract. what I find neat is that even if you guess wrong and play to the 10 (Rho winning the Q), you're still not dead, as you can force out a ruff with the ace by ruffing your spade trick in hand with the J (or, if he refuses to overruff, just lead another trump up to the K, hearts being Axx opposite Qx)