[Phil]

So I'm running some group lessons in Palm Desert, CA now and I'm getting some good attendance. Audrey Grant stuff; although tougher, but the same play and learn theme.
Today in my Wednesday class we covered trump control. We do the standard loser on loser to take the tap in dummy, don't overruff declarer's AQJ9x when you have KTx, that kind of stuff. Not exactly astrophysics, but some are getting it and some aren't. Frequently I don't have a lot of time to prepare hands, but I have enough of a library between my ears so I can usually put some good hands together without a lot of time. Here's one I did today:

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So East opens 1♥ and NS somehow get to a spade contract; preferably 4♠. East starts with three hearts.

One table got it. She pitched a diamond on the 3rd heart and basically claimed from then on in. WD.

One table ruffed the spade and played three rounds of spades, cashed some clubs and tried the doomed diamond finesse. Down.

The 3rd table ruffed the spade, but West pitched a club. So, four spades, two diamonds, and four clubs equals 10 tricks.

Easy game.

[JanM]

It doesn't really help West to pitch a diamond on the third heart, does it? Declarer plays 3 spades, cashes the AKQ of clubs, then plays A and a diamond. Same 10 tricks. You can fix that by giving West all of the clubs, but then West can defeat the hand when declarer makes the "right" play of pitching a diamond on the third heart, by ruffing and giving partner a club ruff. I think you probably have to give East the 4 spades in order to make the "right" play right

[Phil]

JanM, on Jan 22 2009, 01:04 AM, said:

It doesn't really help West to pitch a diamond on the third heart, does it? Declarer plays 3 spades, cashes the AKQ of clubs, then plays A and a diamond. Same 10 tricks. You can fix that by giving West all of the clubs, but then West can defeat the hand when declarer makes the "right" play of pitching a diamond on the third heart, by ruffing and giving partner a club ruff. I think you probably have to give East the 4 spades in order to make the "right" play right

I could be missing something (been a long day), but what does declarer do after the diamond K wins? Declarer has taken four spades, three clubs, and the two diamonds (obvious West pitches the long club) but then has to give a diamond and the long trump at 12 and 13.

[JanM]

You're right and I'm the one who's tired . No wait, double dummy I think declarer can still do it. Ruff the heart, cash AK of spades, AKQ of clubs, A of diamonds, J of clubs, diamond. Now West can't cash the long club if he ruffs the diamond.

[JLOL]

JanM, on Jan 22 2009, 01:45 AM, said:

You're right and I'm the one who's tired . No wait, double dummy I think declarer can still do it. Ruff the heart, cash AK of spades, AKQ of clubs, A of diamonds, J of clubs, diamond. Now West can't cash the long club if he ruffs the diamond.

Yes, it doesn't have to be quite this precise, you can play ace and a diamond towards dummy immediately, if lefty ruffs you are cold so he pitches, then you can play 2 rounds of trumps 3 rounds of clubs, trump, club.

[JLOL]

double post.

[Phil]

In all of these variations, LHO is just pitching the long club winner he hopes to enjoy later.

[JLOL]

Phil, on Jan 22 2009, 01:56 AM, said:

In all of these variations, LHO is just pitching the long club winner he hopes to enjoy later.

Yep, because he has no winning choices once all of his red cards are gone.