[Trumpace]

This is a hand from the humourous book "Beaten by the masters" by David Bird. This hand appears on page 113. It appears to me that the author has missed a better line than the one given in the book (or perhaps that is the point of the joke!).

Anyway...

You reach 7S as South (after West preempts 4♦) and West leads the ♦Q.

Lead ♦Q

---

Plan the play.


As usual Adv/Exp please don't post spoilers too early.

[Mbodell]

Well,

Spoiler

my main worries are a 4-0 spade split (East), a 5-0 club split (East), a 4-1 club split (East), and a 10-0 diamond split (West). I can mitigate many of those by careful play which involves not playing the A or K of diamonds on the first round, but playing a 7♦ instead and ruffing, then pulling trump leaving the position to finesse the J♠ if needed, then run some clubs leaving a finessing position if J or T drops stiff, and if clubs split 4-1 with some other club I can drop a club on the A♦, ruff clubs good, and pitch the 2 ♥ on the other ♦ and 5th♣. Alternatively, if the clubs split 5-0 I have chances of a red suit squeeze against west or a triple squeeze with diamonds and hearts against west and hearts and clubs against south. But to play the squeeze line I need to play a top diamond on the first trick, which puts me in great danger if I do encounter the 10-0 split. 10-0 seems pretty unlikely, but not impossible and I'm not sure a B-I post of trumpace would be after a squeeze position, so I guess I like the first line better.

[pclayton]

Mbodell, on Aug 15 2008, 12:45 PM, said:

Well,

Spoiler

my main worries are a 4-0 spade split (East), a 5-0 club split (East), a 4-1 club split (East), and a 10-0 diamond split (West). I can mitigate many of those by careful play which involves not playing the A or K of diamonds on the first round, but playing a 7♦ instead and ruffing, then pulling trump leaving the position to finesse the J♠ if needed, then run some clubs leaving a finessing position if J or T drops stiff, and if clubs split 4-1 with some other club I can drop a club on the A♦, ruff clubs good, and pitch the 2 ♥ on the other ♦ and 5th♣. Alternatively, if the clubs split 5-0 I have chances of a red suit squeeze against west or a triple squeeze with diamonds and hearts against west and hearts and clubs against south. But to play the squeeze line I need to play a top diamond on the first trick, which puts me in great danger if I do encounter the 10-0 split. 10-0 seems pretty unlikely, but not impossible and I'm not sure a B-I post of trumpace would be after a squeeze position, so I guess I like the first line better.

Even in England there are only 13 clubs in the deck.

[han]

I wouldn't worry about the 10-0 split.

[jonottawa]

Spoiler

Pitch club on Diamond Ace. Claim.

At least he didn't call it Master-beaten.

[Mbodell]

pclayton, on Aug 15 2008, 12:57 PM, said:

Even in England there are only 13 clubs in the deck.

Ah, well then it seems pretty straight forward to me, if I can count to 13 I can make it as I can account for all problems including 10-0 diamonds or 4-0 spades (either way) or 4-0 clubs (either way).

[jonottawa]

I don't see how you guard against 10-0 ♦ AND 4-0-9-0 (for instance.)

In real life ♦ aren't 10-0 so I like my line.

[ArcLight]

Spoiler

I dont think the double squeeze will work, nor the simple squeze.

Discard a club on the dime ace
Spade Ace, to pick up 4-0 trumps with west.
Spade Q, spade finesse to pick up easts 4 spades.

Club K, Club ace, Club Q, club ruff
Heart to ace.
Dime K discard heart
Discard other heart on last club