[Fluffy]

Scoring: IMP

1NT-3NT
pass

lead ♠4

---

[sathyab]

Fluffy, on Mar 2 2009, 03:39 PM, said:

Scoring: IMP

1NT-3NT
pass

lead ♠4

---

Here's a line that works some of the time. Win the first trick in hand. ♣Q from hand and they hold off. Unblock ♦s, club to the Ace, cash ♦A and play on clubs to knock out the King. This makes any time ♣K is stiff or doubleton. When Diamonds break 4-3, RHO has to be able win a Diamond trick and play a heart back to give you a guess. If they Diamonds lay in a way that makes it difficult or impossible, you make again. And finally there's always a winning heart guess.

When the Kxx of clubs is on-side, one is better off winning the first spade in dummy and just playing on clubs. Not sure how to find a line that combines that simple chance with any other that assumes the club finesse is off or that clubs are 4-1 when the King is on-side.

[gnasher]

I play Sathyab's first line, except that I can count my losers better: with diamonds 4-3, the most I can lose is a diamond, a club and two hearts. I go down only if someone has five diamonds, East has ♣Kxx, and I lose two heart tricks.

[sathyab]

gnasher, on Mar 2 2009, 07:09 PM, said:

I play Sathyab's first line, except that I can count my losers better: with diamonds 4-3, the most I can lose is a diamond, a club and two hearts.  I go down only if someone has five diamonds, East has ♣Kxx, and I lose two heart tricks.

I suppose it's too late to protest that I meant to say "If Diamonds were 5-2" all along ? Does anyone allow UNDO's on this forum ?

[jdonn]

gnasher, on Mar 2 2009, 07:09 PM, said:

I play Sathyab's first line, except that I can count my losers better: with diamonds 4-3, the most I can lose is a diamond, a club and two hearts.  I go down only if someone has five diamonds, East has ♣Kxx, and I lose two heart tricks.

I'll do you one better. Win the spade in hand, unblock KQ of diamonds, and play a club to the queen. If it wins continue as you and Sathya did. No reason to give up overtricks when there exists singleton K or Kx of clubs onside that I can see.