[gnasher]

Scoring: IMP

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  pass pass 1♣  3♥
  dbl  pass 5♣

West leads ♥Q to A. You throw a spade on ♥K (East playing high-low, ostensibly upside-down but possibly suit preference), and draw trumps in two rounds, East having ♣J7.

Plan the play.

(If anyone thinks they recongnise this hand, yes I have changed some pips and yes that is intentional.)

This post has been edited by gnasher: 2008-July-20, 12:45

[Echognome]

Seems like this is mainly about the suit combination in diamonds.

Also, I know some inferences from the lead and the failure for West to lead spades (he won't have AK or KQJ or KQT, etc).

I think I'm going to follow the normal line in diamonds. Lay down the A and lead towards the queen if I only see small cards. If East plays T or J on the first round of the suit, I'm going to finesse the 9 on the 2nd round.

[gnasher]

Sorry - I'd missed out the auction. I've now added it.

[kenrexford]

Diamonds seem almost 100% to be 2 to the left and three to the right.

RHO did not open 2♠, so I think he has five spades, giving LHO two. With 2♠/7♥/2♣, LHO has two diamonds. I play for that layout, because I cannot pick up a 4-1 as far as I can see.

So, I play a spade to see if something stupid happens, but then I end up back in hand to play diamonds myself.

Now, I play diamond Ace and out. I either see the King, or the J-10, or I fold.

If I happen to actually see the J or 10 from RHO, I ain't hooking. The only chance I have is catching LHO with three diamonds. If LHO has three diamonds, then RHO has a doubleton and, hence, six spades. His hand has to be a pice of junk to not open 2♠. If he has six spades, LHO has one, and it is the Ace. So, RHO must have KQxxxx in spades and Jx in clubs. He must be a timid lad with something like ♠KQxxxx ♥xxx ♦10x ♣Jx. Possible. So, if I actually do see a J or 10 from RHO, it is a falsecard, or J10 tight. Rise Queen.

Damn shame I don't have the diamond 8 in either hand, or I'd hook the 9 at trick 4.

[gnasher]

If you play a spade, RHO wins the queen and plays the ace. LHO follows.

[FrancesHinden]

It seems likely that LHO is either 3712 or 2722. If LHO has only 6 hearts that would give RHO 4 together with some chunky spades and he would have raised. In fact, I think spades have to be 4-3 because I can't see RHO passing 3H looking at AKQxx in spades together with some heart support.

Or rather, if RHO does have AKQxx in spades, LHO has the DK and we're probably OK whatever we do...

But if LHO is short in diamonds, how exactly does this help me?

Well, if he's got singleton king, I can play ace of diamonds, diamond to the queen, spade discarding a diamond... that either endplays LHO with his original Kxx to give me an R&D, or LHO discarded the SK on the second diamond and I have a ruffing finesse.

But I can't see what else I can do in diamonds

[gnasher]

FrancesHinden, on Jul 21 2008, 03:23 PM, said:

Well, if he's got singleton king, I can play ace of diamonds, diamond to the queen, spade discarding a diamond... that either endplays LHO with his original Kxx to give me an R&D, or LHO discarded the SK on the second diamond and I have a ruffing finesse.

Hadn't noticed that. Anyway, that wasn't the point of the hand, so assume that RHO played back a low spade, retaining his ace.

I'm starting to feel better about having missed this.

[dburn]

If West has the singleton king of diamonds (and he might well have led some other singleton) then it ought to be possible to squeeze East in the pointed suits. Ruff the second spade, play a low diamond to West's king, ruff the forced spade return and run trumps, reducing to ♦Qx and a spade in dummy, ♦Axx in hand with East still to discard from his spade winner and ♦J10x.

Of course, this doesn't need the nine or the eight of diamonds, or the nine and the eight of spades, or anything except for West to have started with 3=7=1=2 shape and ♦K. But the line does not seem to cost when he in fact began with any of the other favourable diamond holdings, so should be adopted.

[gnasher]

Yes, that was the point of the hand.

[kenrexford]

dburn, on Jul 21 2008, 01:43 PM, said:

If West has the singleton king of diamonds (and he might well have led some other singleton) then it ought to be possible to squeeze East in the pointed suits. Ruff the second spade, play a low diamond to West's king, ruff the forced spade return and run trumps, reducing to ♦Qx and a spade in dummy, ♦Axx in hand with East still to discard from his spade winner and ♦J10x.

Of course, this doesn't need the nine or the eight of diamonds, or the nine and the eight of spades, or anything except for West to have started with 3=7=1=2 shape and ♦K. But the line does not seem to cost when he in fact began with any of the other favourable diamond holdings, so should be adopted.

Very nice observation and analysis.

I win the top two hearts, ditching a spade.

I now pull trumps in two rounds and exit a spade. I ruff the spade continuation.

I play a low diamond, and LHO wins. With a club still in dummy at this point, he leads a forced spade, which I ruff. I then play all the clubs and catch RHO in a pointed squeeze because he has the remaining diamonds and spades.

Suppose, instead, that LHO leads back a heart when in with the diamond King. I ruff in dummy and pitch a diamond, claiming.

Very nice.

Any risk?

I am concerned about LHO having two diamonds first. If he has Kx, he pops the King of diamonds and exits a diamond. But, then the suit comes in anyway. If he has 10x or Jx, I'm set anyway. If he has J10, I will see one of the honors. In this event, I need to come up with the rise of the Queen, losing, and then the rise of the Ace, dropping the other honor.

What about LHO with three diamonds? That seems unlikely for the reasons I already mentioned. However, if LHO does have three diamonds, he has the King (for the reasons offered). So, when he ducks, I play the Queen. This loses when LHO has three diamonds without the King, but that seems remote.

Back, however, to if LHO has one diamond. If I play small and see the 10 or J, I could play for RHO to have K10xx/KJxx. When the 10 or Jack is played, covered with the Queen, and won with the King, a diamond comes back. Restricted choice seems to suggests stiff rather than tight, meaning a hook. However, I cannot handle the hook. Even though I win another trick that way, I am still set, because I have lost my entry to dummy. So, I play anti-percentage because the odds-off play is the only one I can handle anyway. Drop the tight honors.

Although, one additional thought. RHO wins the spade Queen. What if he returns a diamond? I duck, allowing LHO to win his stiff diamond prematurely, and he leads back a second spade. I cross to dummy's club and ruff a third spade. Same course. Wow.

[cnszsun]

dburn, on Jul 22 2008, 02:43 AM, said:

If West has the singleton king of diamonds (and he might well have led some other singleton) then it ought to be possible to squeeze East in the pointed suits. Ruff the second spade, play a low diamond to West's king, ruff the forced spade return and run trumps, reducing to ♦Qx and a spade in dummy, ♦Axx in hand with East still to discard from his spade winner and ♦J10x.

Of course, this doesn't need the nine or the eight of diamonds, or the nine and the eight of spades, or anything except for West to have started with 3=7=1=2 shape and ♦K. But the line does not seem to cost when he in fact began with any of the other favourable diamond holdings, so should be adopted.

Indeed nice analysis.
I thought of the same line but different reasons (not as good as yours).
West could be 2812, stiff ♦K. (E/W are unfavorable, so 8 cards hearts are not totally unreasonable)

[gnasher]

kenrexford, on Jul 21 2008, 11:46 PM, said:

Back, however, to if LHO has one diamond. If I play small and see the 10 or J, I could play for RHO to have K10xx/KJxx. When the 10 or Jack is played, covered with the Queen, and won with the King, a diamond comes back.

No it doesn't. RHO will just play back a spade and wait for his diamond trick. Or, if RHO happens not to have any spades, having had an unlikely 2=5=4=2, he gives a ruff and discard instead.

[FrancesHinden]

gnasher, on Jul 21 2008, 11:11 PM, said:

Yes, that was the point of the hand.

Well, I'm hurt.

I work out how to make the contract on the actual layout and defence, and the only response I get is to be told that wasn't the point of the hand, and the defence didn't go like that at all.

Having made life easy for other posters by drawing their attention to singleton DK in West's hand, dburn makes the contract on some boring simple squeeze and he gets all the plaudits.

[gnasher]

It's my hand and I'm entitled to decide what the point of it is, and also to vary how the defence went as I see fit.

I think you and David should be pleased that, although you each lacked the ability to find the correct line alone, by combining your intellects you were still able to reach the right answer. A fine collaborative effort - well done.

[y66]

Nice problem. wddb.

[dburn]

gnasher, on Jul 22 2008, 05:48 AM, said:

I think you and David should be pleased that, although you each lacked the ability to find the correct line alone

This hand must have come up in that game Andy and I had at the Young Chelsea in the 1990s. Only thus could it be the case that: [a] I have no recollection of ever having seen it before; and [b] Andy is confident that I lacked the ability to play it correctly.

However, if this is to be considered a collaborative effort, I think that partial credit should be given to Ken Rexford for having the foresight to play a spade after drawing trumps. This seemingly pointless manoeuvre is actually an important element in the eventual fulfilment of the contract, and should be duly recognised. If declarer plays a low diamond without first playing a spade. West wins and plays a spade to East, whose return of the jack of diamonds disrupts communications for the squeeze.

It is also worthy of note that West could have broken the contract in one of two ways, by leading either a spade or his singleton ♦K. Although it seems at first that the requirements for a squeeze on East are still present, both of these leads render declarer's task impossible. The reasons for this are left as an exercise for the reader.

[benlessard]

What happen if he duck the diamond ? Hoping with the king is unlikely to be the good defense since opener has at least 3D

...Edited ok squeeze east i though to squeeze west.