[gnasher]

Scoring: IMP

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West passes as dealer; East overcalls 2♣ over 1♦; thereafter East-West are silent.

Which game would you prefer to be in?

How would you play 4♥ on the lead of ♣2 (3rd/5th)?

[mikeh]

I'm not surprised that there were no immediate answers: posted relatively late in the day, and a fiendishly difficult (to me, at least) play issue.

I am going to play a heart to the Queen.

I had begun writing a huge post, outlining all of the horrible things that could happen on either a heart to the Queen or the alternative (it seemed to me) of a diamond to the Queen.

While I feel reasonably safe in saying that the bidding suggests that rho has one or both red Kings, that factoid is of very little comfort. Without going into great detail, consider:

1. Diamond to the Q and rho ducks with the King... this could cause a huge accident later

2. Diamond to the Q and rho wins and returns the suit (what else is he going to play?

3. Heart towards the Q and LHO rises (thus virtually assuring that the diamond hook loses) and gives you a ruff-sluff.. where do you ruff, and however you answer that, discuss communications when trump are 4-2

4. Heart towards the Q and rho wins and gives you a ruff sluff

These are just the more prominent of the possibilities that crossed what passes for my mind towards the end of a long day.

I have answers, of varying levels of optimism, pessimism and doubt, to these questions, but which layout is more likely? I have no idea.

[Codo]

There is no game I want to be in, I had liked to play 2 Diamond.

But when I need to be in game, I prefer 4 Heart as the least evil.

If even Mike has no clear plan, it should be too difficult for me.
Some clues: We have 25 HCps between us, they bid once with 15 HCps. The clubs seem to be 3/6. So, I try to play hearts, Diamonds and clubs for one loser.

I start with a diamond to the queen, losing? I win the diamond return? And play the queen of hearts, hopefully covered all around. I continue with a second trump and hope that East is 3226 or 2236 and cannot ruff the next diamond.

[FrancesHinden]

You are playing in a timed event.

If we are under time pressure, I would prefer to play in 3NT, because at least the play is going to be quick.

I think 4H is a better contract.

I don't know what the right line is in 4H, and I know I may be biased by knowing the full hand.

Quote

There is no game I want to be in, I had liked to play 2 Diamond.

This is way too pessimistic. I don't think it's unreasonable to say that the diamond finesse is about 50% even after the overcall, and that makes 3NT a perfectly good contract. If 4H is better, even though harder to play, game is easily with the odds.

[bid_em_up]

I think I would play a spade to the Ace at trick 3, and run the heart Q. It seems like my objective here should be to limit my heart losers to one whenever possible.

[gnasher]

bid_em_up, on Oct 29 2008, 04:58 PM, said:

I think I would play a spade to the Ace at trick 3, and run the heart Q.

What will you do if:
(a) ♥Q is covered, or
(b) ♥Q holds