[matmat]

Scoring: IMP

opps remain silent

1♦-1♥
1♠-4♣
4♦-4♥
4N - 5♥
6♠

♣A followed by ♣Q by West.

hidden:

Spoiler

if you play a small trump to hand
RHO will put in the 9, LHO the 2.

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edit... whenever I see a post like this one (or make one) it dawns on me that since it is being posed as problem most people are going to figure out what the catch is and get it right. guess my question is, would you get it right at the table? how much of a giveaway is the ♣Q? what if you weren't missing the 9 (say had that instead of the ♠5. would you figure it out then?

[rogerclee]

This is not even close, you play for the drop or Jxxx onside.

[Tomi2]

seems you can either play for:
J432 - 9
by playing a spade to the 8
or for any other layout by playing to the ace

J9xx
J9x
J9

all those combinations a good player will play the 9

[JLOL]

J9xx with RHO is not relevant since when we lead another spade LHO is going to show out if that is the holding.

Anyways the CA is a normal lead on this auction so there's no reason to place LHO with a trump trick. I would go with it if it was some abnormal lead without a trump trick, but here I think they will just always lead the CA so I would make the normal percentage play.

[mikeh]

I agree with justin... btw, the 9 is not a riskfree falsecard... assuming declarer has 4 spades, and that it matters, partner will be dealt the stiff 10 1/3rd of the time, and no declarer is going wrong when the 10 appears

I take no inference from the lead, nor from the continuation.. what do we expect him to switch to, on that auction and that dummy?

I hope my rho is known to me to be a good player, since then the falsecard is mandatory, even if not risk free.. but I am not going to lose to J9 or J9x in order to cater to spefically stiff 9, regardless of what I think of rho.