[luis]

Scoring: MP

---

RHO opens 1d, you overcall 1s, it follows:

1d - 1s- pass - 2d(*)
3d - pass - pass - 3s
4d - dbl - pass - pass
pass
(*) Good hand with support

You lead the sK pd plays low (UDCA), what's your defensive plan ?

[inquiry]

luis, on May 7 2004, 09:17 AM, said:

You lead the sK pd plays low (UDCA), what's your defensive plan ?

You didn't say, but we assume that the ♠K held. Since this is matchpoints, I will be reasonably happy with down one, and I see three sure tricks now (the spade I guess I just won, and two trump tricks).

What does EAST have to bid to 4♦ all by himself vul at MP's? Well, we can be sure lots of ♦. I would be shocked if he didn't have all missing 8 diamonds. That gives him 6 ♦ tricks. If he is missing the ♣Ace he is in trouble. But if partner lacks the ♣A he might be brutally squeezed ♥ and ♣, on the run of those ♦. So I am not going to passively return a ♠ now and when I get in with ♦. That is, if you play ♠ and ♠ and ♠ everytime you get a chance and your partner hold...

♠AJxx
♥KQxxx
♦ void
♣Qxxx

he will get squeezed to death.

So at trick two I am going to try to break up the looming squeeze. Declearer is likely 1-2-8-2. If partners' ♥ is KJ, he can be hooked anyway. So one thought is simply to lead a ♥ now. Playing partner for ♥A or at least ♥KQ. Another is to track the ♣J now, and when I win the first ♦, lead another ♣.

What are the dangers? Can EAST have 1-0-8-4 or even 1-1-8-3? No, because partner would have partner with six hearts to at least KQJ or seven ♥AKQJ would not bid this way. So declearer has at least two ♥. However, East might have stiff ♣A (1-3-8-1), so if I lead a club early and then another I could hand the contract to him, by giving him an entry to dummy to throw away one loser, and to hook partner's presumed ♥ honor. On the other hand, if declearer has three ♥ to the AQJ, partner might jump up with ♥King if I lead one (ouch). But since I think declearer can only have one or two ♣, I think I will lead a club jack now. I will hold off on the first trump, and hope to get a useful count from partner to discover if EAST has one ♣ or two, before I make my second off suit lead. If I believe it is one, I will lead spade then. IF I think EAST had two clubs, I would lead another club. (This also helps me determine if EAST had 7 or 8 diamonds).

Ben

[uday]

You're not alone!

Partner chose not to overtake the S. Partner chose to encourage in spades.

He could have discouraged if he wanted you to switch. For that matter, he could have overtaken if he really wanted a switch.

He is suggesting a spade continuation; no reason to do anything else. Maybe he knows what he is doing.

[inquiry]

uday, on May 7 2004, 11:39 AM, said:

He is suggesting a spade continuation; no reason to do anything else. Maybe he knows what he is doing.

You play with very good partners uday!!! With one or two exceptions, my partners have no idea what they are doing (all my partners reading this, I mean all my other partners BUT YOU ).

But serioiusly, I have no trick or even stopper in ♣ and no trick or stopper in ♥, and if partner lacks an ace, declearer is looking at likely 6♦, and his two aces, and if he has a second ♣, that is 9 tricks. Count is right for squeeze, and partner has the stoppers, and heart threat in upper hand... attack the ♣ entry to dummy or set up partner's ♥ winner seems right to me.

Ben

[Flame]

My partners signal here is clear, he doesnt want a heart switch , this should be ovious whether we play ovious shift or simple signaling.
with this said the worse return is heart, this cant win, and will be a disaster if for example
declerar's hand is :
x
AQx
AQ109xxxx
A

a spade continuation is better then heart but will still lose to ben's example
with declearer having
x
Ax
AQ109xxxx
Ax
or even
x
Axx
AQ109xxx
Ax

The best imo is switch to the J of club, this will lose only when declarer has exactly A9x in club and A sgl in heart (with a small sgl heart or with Ax heart and only 7 diamonds it wont matter since my partner would have been squezed anyway) , this is very unlickly because it will leave partner with a good 6 card heart which he would bid and might have play high on my spade.

[Fluffy]

Just return a ♠ looking for 800.

Oh it s problem!, mmmm.....

Reading your posts it seems ♣J is the best when you look for just 1 off.
Why? partner seems to have 10 HCP: and those have to be ♠AJ, ♣Q and 3 in ♥, or all in ♥.

If it is the first case you have to break comunication in ♣ before opponent can enjoy ♥10, on the second you are in time still to switch after a discourage from partner (why didn´t he overtake to switch then?).

[luis]

Congratulations to the players who found the cJ return, and a second club when in with a trump. Playing a second spade is fine as long as you do switch to the cJ when in with a trump and play a second trump when in again with your 2nd trump trick.
Pd hedl Qxxx of clubs and QJxx of hearts.

At the table I held the Qxxx of clubs and QJxx of hears, pd played a spade at trick two, when declarer played dA and a diamond I discarded the c5 playing o/e signals. Again no luck, pd persisted with spades and I was squeezed for -510. Grrrrr....

[inquiry]

It would be a neater hand if the ♦J was a small, and the contract was 5♦X'ed. Now the ♣ switch at once would be required. No waiting for it allowed....

Ben

[luis]

inquiry, on May 10 2004, 04:11 PM, said:

It would be a neater hand if the ♦J was a small, and the contract was 5♦X'ed. Now the ♣ switch at once would be required. No waiting for it allowed....

Ben

Of course, I posted the real-life problem. You are free to change it for a class or a problem for your friends :-)

[Trpltrbl]

Pd is not telling me that he likes ♠, he overcalled on 4 card suit so i know what he has.
He is asking, strongly I might add, for ♣ switch. This isn't down yet, declarer has many ♦, and pd not going to like see declarer run them all.

Mike

[Flame]

Trpltrbl, on May 11 2004, 11:09 AM, said:

Pd is not telling me that he likes ♠, he overcalled on 4 card suit so i know what he has.
He is asking, strongly I might add, for ♣ switch. This isn't down yet, declarer has many ♦, and pd not going to like see declarer run them all.

Mike

partner didn't overcall 1s you did, remember the right hand should be on the left.

[Free]

Flame, on May 13 2004, 03:54 PM, said:

Trpltrbl, on May 11 2004, 11:09 AM, said:

Pd is not telling me that he likes ♠, he overcalled on 4 card suit so i know what he has.
He is asking, strongly I might add, for ♣ switch. This isn't down yet, declarer has many ♦, and pd not going to like see declarer run them all.

Mike 

partner didn't overcall 1s you did, remember the right hand should be on the left.

The hands are correct: the lower hand is ALWAYS south, the other hand here is LHO. RHO opened 1♦, I bid 1♠,... Weird that people are still confused, but I have to admit it took me long as well to see the hands right The table is just above the lowest hand, that's easiest to remember imo.

[Flame]

Free, on May 13 2004, 04:05 AM, said:

Flame, on May 13 2004, 03:54 PM, said:

Trpltrbl, on May 11 2004, 11:09 AM, said:

Pd is not telling me that he likes ♠, he overcalled on 4 card suit so i know what he has.
He is asking, strongly I might add, for ♣ switch. This isn't down yet, declarer has many ♦, and pd not going to like see declarer run them all.

Mike 

partner didn't overcall 1s you did, remember the right hand should be on the left.

The hands are correct: the lower hand is ALWAYS south, the other hand here is LHO. RHO opened 1♦, I bid 1♠,... Weird that people are still confused, but I have to admit it took me long as well to see the hands right The table is just above the lowest hand, that's easiest to remember imo.

lol free, you always say exactly what i do, but think im wrong.