[luke warm]

on a club lead

Scoring: IMP

---

West North East South

 -     1NT!  Pass  2♠!
 Pass  3♥!   Pass  4♠
 Pass  Pass  Pass  

1nt was 11-13
2♠ was invitational
3♥ was max hand, H 3rd or xxxx support

yes, the hand was bid incorrectly... south probably didn't have an invitational hand, but there you go... i believe the hand can be made on a diamond lead, but not a club lead... of course i got a club lead

[Flame]

I think it can be done vs almost (or maybe all defense)
After two clubs and a trump shift. taking in hand playing diamond to the K.
If west go up with the A, then if he doesnt cont diamond its a simple sqeese on east (After taking the AK of heart out)
If he west continue diamond you take the K
play trumps
getting to this possition

--
AK
9X
--

X
J10x
--
--

now if east saved 3 card hearts and only 1 diamond u will get into dummy with the A of heart ruff a diamond and the last D in dummy is high , if he saved only 2 hearts u take the AK of hearts and the Q drops.

If west doesnt go up with the A, you take the king and take out trumps leaving

--
AK
9xx
--

X
J10x
J

now you play the J of diamond, if wests take the A we are in the same squeese as before.
if he doesnt take the A easy wins but he still have only 2 hearts and 2 diamonds meaning after entreing dummy and ruffing another diamond trhe last D is good.

[Free]

Ofcourse it can be made, if opps make a mistake...

[Shrike]

I may have missed something here, but the best defense after the lead of the CK is a heart shift. (on the actual hand, and also in principle -- see below) It looks to me that, provided West plays another heart next time he is in, it doesn't matter what declarer does, he will lack the entries for a squeeze against East. This will be true even if West ducks a low diamond lead from South, as he needs to get in with the diamond ace. A second heart now breaks up the squeeze -- no entry to the diamond threat.

Why should West shift to hearts at trick 2? If declarer has six spades, then he has ten tricks if he also has the HQ, regardless the rest of the hand. If he has six spades and no HQ, then a heart cannot hurt and will help on the sort of layout that actually obtained. A heart is wrong in theory when declarer holds AKJ9x QTx Jx xxx or the like, but even here declarer may get it right anyway (and this hand is unlikely for the bidding). More likely is AKJ9x QT Qxx xxx, but here declarer has quite a few ways to go right on his own so the shift probably won't cost. Also, some defenders would play that East's trick one card gives some indication of heart cards (mine wouldn't).

If East cashes a second club before shifting, the defense is still prevailing provided he does play a heart at trick three and another when he wins the DA. I don't think there's any squeeze without the count if he ducks the DA.

Note this defense is more likely, as East's second card will have clear suit-preference implications.

Flame's analysis is right on the defense he gives, but a trump shift is pretty much giving up, isn't it?

So, somebody tell me what's wrong with my analysis.

[Flame]

You are right that the best defense can take the contract down (unless someone will show otherwise) but to do that you must not jump with the A of diamond, or else its just a simple sqeesze on east.

[Shrike]

Right -- ducking the DA is necessary (and likely in practice). The trick is finding the heart shift.

[luke warm]

that's what happened.. 2 clubs and a heart shift... when i got in i led a diamond to the board, west popped up with the ace and led another heart... so it can't be made, right? whew

[inquiry]

luke warm, on Apr 12 2004, 05:45 AM, said:

that's what happened.. 2 clubs and a heart shift... when i got in i led a diamond to the board, west popped up with the ace and led another heart... so it can't be made, right? whew

No. Now it is assured...

Run Trumps. East is squeezed in ♥ and ♦. Threat ♥J in south, and ♦9 in dummy, with entry ♦K

[1eyedjack]

Deep Finesse confirms that the contract is down on any lead

[Free]

yes, it's down after every lead, BUT when west plays 2♣ tricks in the beginning I think you make your contract the way Ben said, because of a squeeze in East... Without the 2nd club, east can easily discard a ♣, and west has an extra tempo when he switches ♥ immediatly.

The 2nd ♣ gave you a 100% winning line as the cards lay! Poor play Jimmy - hehe

1eyedjack, check deepfinesse after the first 2 ♣ tricks, i wonder if it still finds a way for down one...

[inquiry]

Free, on Apr 12 2004, 06:44 AM, said:

yes, it's down after every lead, BUT when west plays 2♣ tricks in the beginning I think you make your contract the way Ben said, because of a squeeze in East... Without the 2nd club, east can easily discard a ♣, and west has an extra tempo when he switches ♥ immediatly.

The 2nd ♣ gave you a 100% winning line as the cards lay! Poor play Jimmy - hehe

1eyedjack, check deepfinesse after the first 2 ♣ tricks, i wonder if it still finds a way for down one...

The correct defense on low ♦ is to either win ♦ACE or duck ♦ACE.

If you win the ACE, you must return a ♦, or simply to duck the first ♦. Both plays effectively break up the impending squeeze on EAST. by returning a ♦.

In the case of ducking the first ♦, because the count has not been "corrected." In the second case because of spoiled entry conditions. Let's just examine the second case... with low ♦ where WEST wins the ♦Ace and continues a ♦, obviously you win the ♦K. Now you run your trumps to reach

---

All thought this has the earmarks of a "criss-cross" squeeze, the lack of entry to dummy will do you in. You cash a ♠ and throw a ♥ from dummy. East can safely discard a ♦. Now you play ♥ to dummy, and ruff out the ♦Q, but sure enough the ♦9 in dummy is good, however for lack of an entry you are stuck in your hand and have to give up a ♥.

Now, if WEST had shifed to a ♠ instead of a ♥ at trick two, and had won the first ♦ and returned a ♦, the presences of two ♥ entries to dummy would be enough to compensate for the entry defect. The ending would have then been....

---

Here when you cash your next to last trump and throw a low ♥ from dummy, what is EAST to do? If he throws a ♥, you cash ♥AK, ruff a ♦ and your ♥J is good. And if he throws a ♦? You cross to the ♥K, ruff out the ♦Q, cross to the ♥A, and enjoy your ♦9. Of course, most of us would have just tried the ♥ hook, so this would have been a double-dummy line.

So duck ♦Ace or win it, doesn't matter, but if you win, RETURN a DIAMOND... AS WEST you can see the squeeze coming up on your partner in the red suits, as you can see you lack a stopper in either suit (once you take your ♦A.)

Ben

[luke warm]

Free, on Apr 12 2004, 01:44 PM, said:

~~snip  Poor play Jimmy - hehe  ~~snip~~

poor jimmy heheh... somehow you don't *sound* sympathetic

[Trpltrbl]

Can't be made. Unless opps make mistake, but switch to ♥ at trick 2 and hand is over.

Mike