[ArtK78]

Scoring: IMP

2♣ - 2♦
2NT - 3♣
3♥ - 4♥

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Your opponents have an uncontested auction to 4♥. Partner leads a small spade. Declarer wins the ♠Q and plays a heart to the dummy's 10 and your K.

Your play?

[xcurt]

Diamond now, give partner his presumed spade ruff after winning the other trump honor.

If partner has SKJx we're not beating this.
If partner has a club card we're not beating this.

If we give the ruff now, the other diamond goes on declarer's fourth spade.

Edit, edit -- I guess this is a problem.

If declarer has AKQJ, Jxxx, AQx, KQ we need to defend as given above.
If declarer has AKQJ, Jxxx, AQ, KQx, then we need to defend as given above.
If declarer has AKQJ, Jxxx, AKQ, Qx then I need to play a black suit. If I play a diamond, then declarer can play 3 rounds of diamonds before the last trump and then if we take our spade ruff partner has --, --, x, KJxxx and he's endplayed.

I'll play for partner to hold one specific card (the ♦K) instead of two specific cards and fire back the ♦9.

[FrancesHinden]

Are we allowed to know what the 3H bid meant?

[ArtK78]

This is a standard auction. 3♥ showed at least 4 hearts. It is possible that declarer opened 2NT with a 5 card heart suit, but it is not routine.

[xcurt]

ArtK78, on Oct 13 2008, 10:36 AM, said:

This is a standard auction. 3♥ showed at least 4 hearts. It is possible that declarer opened 2NT with a 5 card heart suit, but it is not routine.

If declarer has 5 hearts, then declarer has either AQ, Jxxxx, AKQ, KQJ or AKQJ, xxxxx, AQ, KQ, or some minor variation on one of those hand. In any event, we can't bet 4♥ if he has one of those.

[gnasher]

xcurt, on Oct 13 2008, 03:24 PM, said:

If declarer has AKQJ, Jxxx, AQx, KQ we need to defend as given above.
If declarer has AKQJ, Jxxx, AQ, KQx, then we need to defend as given above.
If declarer has AKQJ, Jxxx, AKQ, Qx then I need to play a black suit.

Maybe we should rely on partner to give suit preference between the minors in the trump suit? He might reason that we both "know" he has a singleton spade, because we need that in order to beat the contract.

[ArtK78]

The winning play was a diamond at trick 3.

Declarer's hand was AKQJ J9xx AQ KQJ.

I didn't really think that this play was too difficult, but a GLM in my seat at the other table could not find it, and everyone commented how my play was very thoughtful. Apparently, the urge to give partner a ruff blinds players to the need to beat the contract.

EDIT: By GLM, I meant Grand Life Master, not Gold Life Master.