[vuroth]

Scoring: IMP

Bidding:
P P 1♠ P
1NT P 2♥ P
3S P 4S all pass

Partner leads the 5♥, and my 9 is covered by the Ace. Declarer returns the 6♦, partner covering with the King.

---

1. In SAYC, I would absolutely play west for 4 hearts, and thus partner to have the singleton 5♥. Given the opponents were playing 2/1, does west always have to have 4 hearts, or could she conceivably have 3 (and thus partner might have the 54♥ doubleton)?

2. I didn't think of this until after the hand, but is declarer's play of the diamond on trick 2, missing the AKQ, a really big hint?

The plays that I was torn between were overtaking the K♦ and returning a heart (which loses a trick when declarer started with 3 diamonds), and letting it hold, so that partner could play the 4♥ if she held, it, or otherwise continue diamonds.

I had some uncertainty at the table, and rather than let hindsight tell me what's right, I'd like to hear what the correct inferences are.

Thanks.

V

[TylerE]

This diagram makes no sense. Convention is to put opening leader as W, Dummy as N, and your hand as E

[rogerclee]

TylerE, on Oct 23 2008, 05:27 AM, said:

This diagram makes no sense. Convention is to put opening leader as W, Dummy as N, and your hand as E

Do you ever post anything useful, or do you just jump from thread to thread trying to nitpick at everything? This diagram is perfectly readable to me, and I would bet it is also perfectly readable to everyone else except you.

Anyway yes, 2♥ always promises 4 opposite a forcing NT. With 53 in the majors, opener just rebids his longer minor. It is uncommon to play that a 1NT response is forcing as a PH though, and I guess this pair does not play drury.

I would let partner win the ♦K. Overtaking the diamond can turn out badly because it will allow declarer to set up dummy's diamonds. Leading back a heart for partner to ruff is ineffective, since he will either be forced to ruff one of declarer's losers or I will set up declarer's 8. Thinking you have two diamond entries seems like a significant stretch to me, I would bet declarer is 5413.

[FrancesHinden]

1. There's nothing wrong with the diagram, it's certainly clear to me.
2. Declarer should definitely have four hearts for this sequence.
3. Whatever partner's hand is, the king of diamonds is a bizarre card when he is looking at a singleton heart. You'd think he would like you to gain the lead...

If declarer is 5431 he wouldn't usually play a diamond at this point from three low, but rather a club towards the king in dummy (or cash the ace if it's singleon). Also, if declarer has three low diamonds and not the ace of clubs his hand is, at best, AQJxx Axxx xxx Q which is both not a 4S bid and would play a club at trick 2.

So whatever declarer's hand, it's not 3 low diamonds.
A diamond singleton is much more likely, except that playing the DK from Kxxx from partner's hand is pretty insane.

[Walddk]

Three things worry me here:

- 1. Why did partner lead a heart into declarer's suit? Must be a singleton.
- 2. Why did declarer not touch trumps at trick 2?
- 3. Why did partner rise with ♦K?

Partner's lead is not compatible with her action at trick 2. Why does she not want a heart ruff now? I have no idea, but I am not going to overtake and give her a ruff. That would achieve nothing other than ruffing a loser and setting up diamonds in the process. Yes, declarer has four hearts. No sensible player would tell a lie regarding his holding in a major.

I am confused, but it's not the first time. I don't know what partner is up to, but I am sure she knows how the defence should proceed from here.

Roland

[vuroth]

rogerclee, on Oct 23 2008, 07:34 AM, said:

Anyway yes, 2♥ always promises 4 opposite a forcing NT. With 53 in the majors, opener just rebids his longer minor. It is uncommon to play that a 1NT response is forcing as a PH though, and I guess this pair does not play drury.

...Leading back a heart for partner to ruff is ineffective, since he will either be forced to ruff one of declarer's losers or I will set up declarer's 8.

1. You're totally right. This isn't a forcing 1NT, so yeah, 4 hearts with declarer, partner is single. I really, really should have thought of that at the table.

2. The point about partner trumping a loser is something I have never thought about, or heard of, in my life, but it makes total sense. This may be the single most valuable thing I've learned this week. A huge thank you to both of you for pointing that out!

TylerE, on Oct 23 2008, 05:27 AM, said:

This diagram makes no sense. Convention is to put opening leader as W, Dummy as N, and your hand as E

Sorry, I'm pretty sure I've seen both declarer-south, and person-posting-as-south. Personally, I prefer the latter, but I'm not sure which is more common.

[kenrexford]

Just because you lead a stiff does not mean that you want a ruff. Perhaps partner's lead was his thought of the "safest" lead. A strange conclusion, but one that perhaps was made.

I would expect partner, then, to have scattered values, which also explains Declarer's line. From Declarer's perspective, he must think that throwing us in cannot hurt. Maybe Declarer has something like ♠AJxxx ♥A9xx ♦x ♣A9x?

Partner would then have ♠Q10x ♥x ♦K9xx ♣QJxxx.

So, I'll duck the diamond King, playing the 7 because partner's various ways of reading the 7 all turn out right. I'll expect a diamond continuation, trumped by Declarer.

More thought. Partner's diamond hop may have been in expectation of that compression squeeze. At this point, we will be up to one trick. Declarer may smell the rat. He could now cash the two top spades (ending in hand) to then lead a heart toward dummy, not ruffed by partner and won with the King. A third diamond is then ruffed. A heart exit leaves me in, for our second trick.

If I play a club, it will be ducked to J-K for the last diamond ruff, eliminating all of Declarer's spades from his hand. Declarer's last heart is then ruffed in dummy with dummy's last spade. This leaves Dummy with xx in clubs, playing small to the Ace, and exiting a club to what will be partner's stiff trump ruff. This line escapes a club loser, through a compression squeeze.

However, partner pitches a diamond when Declarer leads a heart toward the King, allowing him to over-ruff Declarer on one of the diamonds, before clubs are touched. Partner cannot, however, escape at this point with a spade , diamond, or heart return (because he is out). So, he must play a club. He will only have a chance if he returns the Q or J, and the Queen is probably better. So, our whole task is to look like we have Jx in clubs, however that is done.

[pclayton]

kenrexford, on Oct 23 2008, 06:33 AM, said:

Partner would then have ♠Q10x ♥x ♦K9xx ♣QJxxx.

I'd expect many would lead a club with this.

Still, it looks right to let the ♦K hold, (giving count) and for pard to defend passively.

[Walddk]

kenrexford, on Oct 23 2008, 04:33 PM, said:

Partner would then have ♠Q10x ♥x ♦K9xx ♣QJxxx.

Ken, you are not serious, are you? Leading a stiff heart from that hand into declarer's suit with ♠Q10x, instead of ♣Q, top honour from an unbid suit? I mean, I don't think you will find many at your level, if you would lead a singleton heart here.

Roland

[TylerE]

vuroth, on Oct 23 2008, 08:28 AM, said:

Sorry, I'm pretty sure I've seen both declarer-south, and person-posting-as-south. Personally, I prefer the latter, but I'm not sure which is more common.

No, I'm sorry. My caffiene-deprived morning brain was seeing the hands as W and N, rather than E and S...

[ArtK78]

Defend this hand passively.

Declarer has no tricks. Just let declarer play the hand and all of your tricks will come to you in due time.

[jdonn]

vuroth, on Oct 23 2008, 08:28 AM, said:

1. You're totally right. This isn't a forcing 1NT, so yeah, 4 hearts with declarer, partner is single. I really, really should have thought of that at the table.

It bears saying, the 2♥ bid promises four or more hearts whether 1NT is forcing or not. 5323 and 5332 hands rebid a minor suit instead of a three card heart suit.

[vuroth]

jdonn, on Oct 23 2008, 10:25 AM, said:

vuroth, on Oct 23 2008, 08:28 AM, said:

1.  You're totally right.  This isn't a forcing 1NT, so yeah, 4 hearts with declarer, partner is single.  I really, really should have thought of that at the table.

It bears saying, the 2♥ bid promises four or more hearts whether 1NT is forcing or not. 5323 and 5332 hands rebid a minor suit instead of a three card heart suit.

Thanks. That was the answer I wasn't sure about at the table, regardless of all of the more pressing stuff I wasn't considering.

[kenrexford]

Walddk, on Oct 23 2008, 09:47 AM, said:

kenrexford, on Oct 23 2008, 04:33 PM, said:

Partner would then have ♠Q10x ♥x ♦K9xx ♣QJxxx.

Ken, you are not serious, are you? Leading a stiff heart from that hand into declarer's suit with ♠Q10x, instead of ♣Q, top honour from an unbid suit? I mean, I don't think you will find many at your level, if you would lead a singleton heart here.

Roland

First of all, the heart lead was actually a good lead, results-wise. A spade lead gives up the game, as does anything but a tricky club lead. A diamond lead might work, but it almost might take the diamond KING lead to solve the same compression problem. Your club play (Q from QJ) would have given the contract to Declarer on the proposed layout.

More importantly, however, is that I do not defend with the assumption that all plays by partner were wise plays. I take a complicated set of plays and determine what is most likely. I cannot see how placing 100% confidence in the wisdom of the opening lead is sound, if it requires assuming a very strange play after actually seeing dummy. Opening leads, semi-blind, are usually less reliable than late plays.

What hand, pray tell, can you offer where the lead, Declarer's play, and partner's King of diamonds all make sense?

[cherdano]

Ken, this isn't about a "wise play". Leading a heart from that is just crazy. If partner really has this hand, I better get some drinks, too, to catch up with partner.

[vuroth]

kenrexford, on Oct 23 2008, 11:29 AM, said:

What hand, pray tell, can you offer where the lead, Declarer's play, and partner's King of diamonds all make sense?

This is B/I, ken. Partners are allowed to be pretty crazy here, I think.

Nonetheless, I do appreciate answers like Ken's. Better players seem to respond to odd situations by asking themselves "what's going on here?" and building likely scenarios in their heads. I'm sure a lot of B/Is could use to acquire that kind of habit.

V

[kenrexford]

I don't get it.

It seems that there is a lot of conclusion that playing the diamond King, when looking at dummy, is "insane," and yet I think that this specific play makes a lot of sense if partner has a specific hand.

Then, people who view the diamond King as insane explain that my take cannot make sense because the lead of a stiff heart would be insane, despite the reality that this may well be the best lead on the hand and may well make some sense to partner.

All of this analysis ignores the strange play by Declarer, which is actually quite consistent with the one, simple premise that partner has elected to lead from the hand I proposed.

What?!?!?

I understand that this is B/I. Isn't the most common B/I "error" leading stiffs when you do not actually want a ruff? Isn't #2 leading "passively" when that is not a good idea, or when the "passive" lead is not really a passive lead? Isn't it likely that #1 and #2 can combine on one hand to really suggest a bad lead? Isn't a stiff lead mkore attractive with Qxx, seeing as it often induces an eight-never cash of the top two spades, thereby creating a trick?

Plus, the heart lead actually works on this hand...

I cannot wait to see what partner really had.

[vuroth]

Ask and ye shall receive.

Scoring: IMP

---

West North East South

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

H5 H3 H9 HA
D6 DK D3 D7
CA C7 C3 C4
D2 D8 DQ S4
SQ S8 S3 S2
ST S7 S9 S6
SJ S5 SK H2
CT C2 CQ C9
CJ C8 CK D4
DJ DA SA D9
H6 C5 HK H7
DT HJ H8 D5
HT HQ H4 C6

[Mosene]

Interesting - actually, the play on both sides makes sense to me after the 1st two tricks. Defense went wrong by allowing declarer to finesse the ♦8 - but I think declarer can make it by drawing 2 trumps (if clubs are continued) and leading up to the heart king.