[kenrexford]

LM Pairs.

Scoring: MP

---

After partner opens 1♥ and RHO overcalls 2♣, you end up eventually in 6♦ from the South, opponents silent thereafter. No real clues from the bidding, other than that the opponents did have some space to further intervene, should they so decide.

I cannot remember the vulnerability, which is unfortunate as that might offer some clues. I do know, however, that the vulnerability concerns for the opponents may have resulted in some decisions at other tables that were different than at ours. Cryptic, but then I'm trying not to give anything specific away.

Anyway, LHO leads a club pip. Your line?

I saw three general possibilities, myself. I initiated one line that should in theory have ended my chances immediately, but then I received a strange line from the opponents that left me with a different problem for the finish.

Strangely, perhaps, the results on this hand seems to be a lot of partscore results and a few results like mine for one or two trick sets. There were no simple game-making results.

[Simplicity]

At the table i'd certainly start

♣A, ♠K, ♣

planning to take 6♦s, 1♣, 2♠, 2♥ from a ruffing finesse and a club ruff

I think after this start the worst that can happen is they win and play another club which i ruff cash my major aces pitching a heart take the finesse and then pull trumps ruffing a spade back to my hand

[kenrexford]

Simplicity, on Dec 1 2008, 08:13 PM, said:

At the table i'd certainly start

♣A, ♠K, ♣

planning to take 6♦s, 1♣, 2♠, 2♥ from a ruffing finesse and a club ruff

I think after this start the worst that can happen is they win and play another club which i ruff cash my major aces pitching a heart take the finesse and then pull trumps ruffing a spade back to my hand

Spoiler

This was, in fact, the exact line I took. Strangely, however, LHO pounced on the second club, ruffing, to lead an immediate spade back. When I rose with the Ace, RHO dropped the Queen out.

Now what?

[Simplicity]

kenrexford, on Dec 1 2008, 08:21 PM, said:

Simplicity, on Dec 1 2008, 08:13 PM, said:

At the table i'd certainly start

♣A, ♠K, ♣

planning to take 6♦s, 1♣, 2♠, 2♥ from a ruffing finesse and a club ruff

I think after this start the worst that can happen is they win and play another club which i ruff cash my major aces pitching a heart take the finesse and then pull trumps ruffing a spade back to my hand

Spoiler

This was, in fact, the exact line I took. Strangely, however, LHO pounced on the second club, ruffing, to lead an immediate spade back. When I rose with the Ace, RHO dropped the Queen out.

Now what?

I think the safest way home now is ruff a ♠, ♣ ruff, ♦A, ♠J ruffed in hand, then run the trumps for a simple squeeze in the round suits

It seems unfortunate i cant create a show up squeeze anymore

[nige1]

kenrexford, on Dec 1 2008, 07:42 PM, said:

Scoring: MP

LM Pairs. After partner opens 1♥ and RHO overcalls 2♣, you end up eventually in 6♦ from the South, opponents silent thereafter.  No real clues from the bidding, other than that the opponents did have some space to further intervene, should they so decide. I cannot remember the vulnerability, which is unfortunate as that might offer some clues.  I do know, however, that the vulnerability concerns for the opponents may have resulted in some decisions at other tables that were different than at ours.  Cryptic, but then I'm trying not to give anything specific away.
Anyway, LHO leads a club pip.  Your line?
I saw three general possibilities, myself.  I initiated one line that should in theory have ended my chances immediately, but then I received a strange line from the opponents that left me with a different problem for the finish. Strangely, perhaps, the results on this hand seems to be a lot of partscore results and a few results like mine for one or two trick sets.  There were no simple game-making results.

---

• I would have drawn trumps and taken 2 ordinary ♥ finesses
  
• But I now I think that Simplicity's line (ruff a ♣ then double squeeze) is better.
  
• I don't think the ruffing ♥ finesse is a good option
  • If ♥ are 3-3 then LHO wll discard ♥s on ♣s.
    
  • If ♥ are 4-2 then the defence will exit in trumps.

[kenrexford]

Simplicity, on Dec 2 2008, 06:10 AM, said:

kenrexford, on Dec 1 2008, 08:21 PM, said:

Simplicity, on Dec 1 2008, 08:13 PM, said:

At the table i'd certainly start

♣A, ♠K, ♣

planning to take 6♦s, 1♣, 2♠, 2♥ from a ruffing finesse and a club ruff

I think after this start the worst that can happen is they win and play another club which i ruff cash my major aces pitching a heart take the finesse and then pull trumps ruffing a spade back to my hand

Spoiler

This was, in fact, the exact line I took. Strangely, however, LHO pounced on the second club, ruffing, to lead an immediate spade back. When I rose with the Ace, RHO dropped the Queen out.

Now what?

I think the safest way home now is ruff a ♠, ♣ ruff, ♦A, ♠J ruffed in hand, then run the trumps for a simple squeeze in the round suits

It seems unfortunate i cant create a show up squeeze anymore

Well,

Spoiler

I actually decided at this point to run a simple heart-club squeeze and to play RHO for 2326 shape, which failed. My line was diamond to King, planning diamond back to Ace, spade Jack, spade ruff, run diamonds.

As it turns out, a cash of the diamond Ace first, which kills that line, would have worked. You can still now ruff a spade, ruff a diamond, ruff a spade, pull trumps (hopefully) if all follow on the diamond, as a backup, but RHO turns out to have four diamonds. The ruff-in (a weird mistake) would have allowed me to pick up diamonds and then resort to the simple heart finesse, which works. RHO held Qx-x-Jxxx-KQJxxx, which seemed unlikely. I'm glad to see others failed as well.

[kenrexford]

RHO held ♠Qx ♥x ♦Jxxx ♣KQJxxx.

After club Ace, spade to King, club ruffed, spade back (Ace, RHO dropping Queen under this), I attempted to play diamond King-Diamond Ace, Spade Jack, spade ruff, diamonds-diamonds-diamonds to catch RHO instead with ♠Qx ♥Kxx ♦xx ♣KQJxxx (or Jx in diamonds) and a club-heart squeeze. Obviously, this failed miserably. Sexier lines blind me.

But, is the actual hand more likely than the hand I played for, or is there an even better line?

[nige1]

kenrexford, on Dec 4 2008, 09:50 PM, said:

Scoring: MP

After club Ace, spade to King, club ruffed, spade back (Ace, RHO dropping Queen under this), I attempted to play diamond King-Diamond Ace, Spade Jack, spade ruff, diamonds-diamonds-diamonds to catch RHO instead with ♠Qx ♥Kxx ♦xx ♣KQJxxx (or Jx in diamonds) and a club-heart squeeze.  Obviously, this failed miserably.  Sexier lines blind me. But, is the actual hand more likely than the hand I played for, or is there an even better line?

---

Interesting deal Ken! You may as well continue with dummy's ♠J after winning ♠A. Now, ...

• If RHO ruffs, then over-ruff, ♣ ruff, ♦A, ♠ ruff, draw trumps,
  • If RHO has the hand that you expect, then run triumps for your round-suit squeeze.
    
  • On the actual deal, you find RHO is 2146, so you may rely on the ♥ finesse.
    rather than play RHO for singleton ♥K.
  
  
• If RHO fails to ruff, then discard a ♥ and cash dummy's ♦A...
  • If RHO has the hand that you expect, then both defenders follow; so draw trumps, claiming on a double squeeze.
    
  • On the actual deal, LHO shows out, so take the the marked ♦ finesse, and claim on the same double-squeeze

[kenrexford]

Duh!

I missed one HUGE point. I don't need that spade Jack -- I still have the club ruff available.

I probably should actually play the diamond Ace and THEN the spade Jack. If RHO shows up with only one diamond (weird, but probably the stiff Jack in that event), then I don't even need the squeeze. I win the spade Jack, pitching a heart, ruff a spade, ruff a club, heart Ace, ruff back to hand, claim.

When the diamond Ace catches air to the left, I'm in on the secret.