[hanp]

Scoring: IMP

1D - p - 2C* - p
2NT - p - 3NT - all pass

---

2C showed a balanced hand or clubs, 2NT showed 12-14 balanced.

Partner leads the heart 10, showing 0 or 2 higher honors. Declarer thinks for a bit and plays the jack. You cover and after some thought declarer plays low.

How do you continue the defense?

[blackshoe]

If partner will have ♥9, I lead my top remaining heart. Otherwise I lead an encouraging spade.

[matmat]

♣x

[Winstonm]

low club.

appears opener has xxx(x), AKx, AJxx, xx(x)

[ArtK78]

This looks like a classic right out of one of the old books on defensive play. Return a low club. If partner has 3 clubs and declarer has to lose the lead twice, you have 6 tricks.

If partner has Qxxx or QTx of clubs, all the better. But depending on how the play goes, you may not have the luxury of playing partner for QTx.

[Codo]

Winstonm, on Mar 23 2009, 11:26 AM, said:

low club.

appears opener has xxx(x), AKx, AJxx, xx(x)

With this hand, why didn`t he win the first heart, play a spade and play on diamonds? He will win when the diamond finesse is on or hearts are 4-4 or when the defence continus hearts but the one with the 5. heart does not hold the king of diamonds.
He has one stopper in club but two in hearts, ducking the first trick could be very wrong.


But I would lead a club too.
Even when partner lead from AKT9x, we will still beat the contract later. They have at most 6 diamonds and two clubs before we regain the lead.

[wclass___]

Return highest ♥

If declarer plays ♠ you win and return ♥
If declarer plays ♦ you must suggest ♣ switch as laudly as you can Also pard should realize that only way to beat contract is with ♣ switch,success guarantted with partner having xx T9xxx Kxx Qxx

Problem with playing small ♣ immediately is that with Txx in clubs declarer will survive 2♣+2♥+5♦


Hate me

[wclass___]

[quote name='Codo' date='Mar 23 2009, 02:49 AM'] appears opener has xxx(x), AKx, AJxx, xx(x) [/QUOTE]
With this hand, why didn`t he win the first heart, play a spade and play on diamonds? He will win when the diamond finesse is on or hearts are 4-4 or when the defence continus hearts but the one with the 5. heart does not hold the king of diamonds.
He has one stopper in club but two in hearts, ducking the first trick could be very wrong. [/quote]
Because he is waiting for you to swtch to [cl] holding [cl]Txx

[hanp]

I had this hand at the table yesterday. I still think there is a clearly "right" answer but it hasn't been mentioned yet so perhaps I need to think about it again. Later.

[FrancesHinden]

hanp, on Mar 23 2009, 01:24 PM, said:

I had this hand at the table yesterday. I still think there is a clearly "right" answer but it hasn't been mentioned yet so perhaps I need to think about it again. Later.

I haven't thought through this carefully enough yet, but I can construct hands where any suit is right, including a spade...

[Phil]

Declarer holds the ♥AK and one of the diamond honors (otherwise the hand is hopeless). We don't know about the club queen (AK-A is an opening bid for most people). Some information about declarer's diamond length would be useful, as would if declarer has denied a four card major.

It seems declarer will be able to take 5 diamonds, 2 spades, 1 club and 1 heart in due course.

So, it's either a heart or a club. A heart works if declarer tries to knock out the spade first, but I'm afraid that declarer will lay down the ♦A first getting the news and then knock out the spade.

A club works if partner has the QTx, however, 9xx in declarer's hand creates a blockage, if declarer figures out to knock out the ♠A first. There's even a blockage when pard has QT9. In the end we probably need four clubs in pard's hand.

So I'm continuing a heart. I don't see a reason not to continue with the low one. It may talk declarer into knocking out the spade first, if he thinks I have the entry.

[wclass___]

Phil, on Mar 23 2009, 10:58 AM, said:

It seems declarer will be able to take 5 diamonds, 2 spades, 1 club and 1 heart in due course. 

So, it's either a heart or a club. A heart works if declarer tries to knock out the spade first, but I'm afraid that declarer will lay down the ♦A first getting the news and then knock out the spade.

A club works if partner has the QTx, however, 9xx in declarer's hand creates a blockage, if declarer figures out to knock out the ♠A first. There's even a blockage when pard has QT9. In the end we probably need four clubs in pard's hand.

So I'm continuing a heart. I don't see a reason not to continue with the low one. It may talk declarer into knocking out the spade first, if he thinks I have the entry.

2 hearts you mean.

I doun't see what problem arises for defenders if he plays ♦A-♠ south returns ♥ and defence takes 3♥+1♠+1♦

There is no blockage with pard having QTx
If he tries to knock out A♠ duck first ♠, and take next one followed by ♠ return.. this would be great for defenders as they will get 1♦+1♥+3♠+2♣

[Phil]

wclass___, on Mar 23 2009, 11:48 AM, said:

I doun't see what problem arises for defenders if he plays ♦A-♠ south returns ♥ and defence takes 3♥+1♠+1♦

I misspoke. Once declarer sees partner's entry, that will be the suit he attacks. So upon the ♦A, the ♦K gets knocked out and thats it.

Quote

There is no blockage with pard having QTx

Look again.

[wclass___]

Phil, on Mar 23 2009, 11:57 AM, said:

wclass___, on Mar 23 2009, 11:48 AM, said:

I doun't see what problem arises for defenders if he plays ♦A-♠ south returns ♥ and defence takes  3♥+1♠+1♦

I misspoke. Once declarer sees partner's entry, that will be the suit he attacks. So upon the ♦A, the ♦K gets knocked out and thats it.

Quote

There is no blockage with pard having QTx

Look again.

After ♦K partner having Qxx retuns ♣ and we get 2♣+1♦+1♥+1♥♠

[Phil]

wclass___, on Mar 23 2009, 11:59 AM, said:

After ♦K partner having Qxx retuns ♣ and we get 2♣+1♦+1♥+1♥♠

Very true - its still -1.

[wclass___]

Phil, on Mar 23 2009, 12:23 PM, said:

wclass___, on Mar 23 2009, 11:59 AM, said:

After ♦K partner having Qxx retuns ♣ and we get 2♣+1♦+1♥+1♥♠

Very true - its still -1.

[hanp]

I think the joint effort nailed it. It seems best to continue with a low heart. If declarer wins and is careless enough to play a spade you can knock out the last heart and partner will beat it when he gets in with a diamond. If declarer plays diamond first you have to pitch your other heart. Partner will know you falsecarded (you would not pitch your heart with Kx left) and sees there is no future in hearts. In this case there you still beat it if partner has Qxx of clubs.

At the table declarer had 10xx AKx AJxx Q10x.

ArtK78, on Mar 22 2009, 09:46 PM, said:

This looks like a classic right out of one of the old books on defensive play.

That's what Kevin Fay said too when I gave him the hand yesterday, he thought the hand appeared in Killing Defense.

[matmat]

hanp, on Mar 23 2009, 02:38 PM, said:

In this case there you still beat it if partner has Qxx of clubs.

doesn't partner actually need QTx to beat the contract if declarer plays on diamonds first?

[hanp]

I don't think so. If partner leads the club first then you will get two club tricks, one heart, one diamond and one spade before declarer gets 9. See the comments of wclass.