[pclayton]

Scoring: MP

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1N - 2♥ - 2♠.

You decide to lead the ♦K. Pard signals encouragement and declarer ruffs the 3rd with the Ace, lays down the ♠K-Q (pard follows) and exits a low club from hand. You have the option of rising with the 10 and directing the defense, or ducking and letting pard work out the best continuation.

What do you do?

[kenrexford]

Rise 10 and fire back my little small club.

[rbforster]

T♣, then another club is my guess.

[gnasher]

I assume it went ♦K, low diamond to the ace, diamond. Which of his diamonds did partner play on the third round?

[pclayton]

gnasher, on Aug 27 2008, 09:00 AM, said:

I assume it went ♦K, low diamond to the ace, diamond. Which of his diamonds did partner play on the third round?

Partner started with AJ53 and returned the 3 at T3.

[Mosene]

I want partner to get in and lead a heart.

[brianshark]

I reckon declarer has AKxxx in ♣s and is trying to establish the suit. In which case, we need to take out his only entry before my last trump is gone. So I'm playing the ♣T and then returning the ♣Q.

I can see it going

♣Q x x A
♣K x ♥x ♣J
♣x ruff

which is overruffed but we get a ♥ at the end.

Oh yeah, and why are ppl playing a small ♣ back if it risks picking up pard's J when declarer has only ♣AK9x?

[mikeh]

I agree with Brian that the holding that concerns me is declarer's AKxxx in clubs, which is why I also win the club and return one.

I am sure that there are holdings on which this may cost, but none sprang quickly to mind, while there are a number of easily-pictured heart layouts on which we don't want partner winning the club and concluding that we allowed him to do so expressly to permit a heart switch from, for example, J108x or Q9x.

As for which club to lead, the Queen appears to be clear for the very reason stated by Brian: AK9x.

I am adding my thoughts to Brian's primarily to add the point that partner's choice of a low diamond at trick 3 is of relatively little significance. At that juncture, he had 2 cards he could play (and he knew that we held 4 diamonds, since we would have continued the Q from KQx) but in a vacuum might have had 4 messages to send: I have something in hearts, i have something in clubs, I have something in both or I have nothing in either. The latter two would normally result in the same message... a neutral choice. But, on any view, there are 3 possible messages and only 2 cards to play. I think that the standard suit preference obligation here would be to use the higher diamond as a positive statement about hearts, and the lower as conveying no specific information about clubs... either we are neutral or we prefer clubs to hearts.

[Mosene]

If declarer is (see below) and is playing for 3-3 clubs and 3-2 spades, why not pitch a heart on the 3rd diamond? Then play along dummy reversal lines? (ruff diamond return in dummy, take 2 spades, AK club ruff, spade back to hand, ruff heart at the end. As usual, I am sure I am missing something.

(alternatively with heart switch, win Heart Ace, 2 spades, AK and club ruff, Spade back to hand ruffing heart at end)

♠AKQ
♥XXX
♦XX
♣AKXXX

[kenrexford]

♠AKQ ♥Q10 ♦xx ♣AJxxxx

[jdonn]

kenrexford, on Aug 27 2008, 02:25 PM, said:

♠AKQ ♥Q10 ♦xx ♣AJxxxx

Interesting example, but if declarer has that, I would say partner has enough information to overtake the ten of clubs and continue clubs holding Qx. You can't want a heart or you would have let him win it, so if you are going to continue clubs it can only help to have it come from his side.

[pclayton]

A club was the winner. Yes declarer had exactly AKQ xxx xx AK9xx. He could have easily pitched a heart on the 3rd diamond and made 4 without much trouble.