[Phil]

My last entry from Palm Springs:

Swiss Match - 3N again.

Scoring: IMP

1D - 1S
1N - 2N
3N

---

Opening lead: ♥3 (supposedly 4th best), Q, K, 2
2. ♥5, 9, A, 4
3. ♥6, Q, ♣6, 10 (low = encouraging)

After the first several hands, your opponents have apparently decided to stop carding honestly, once it was apparent you were paying attention to their carding.

4. ♣Q, 8, 2, K
5. ♦8, ?

[OleBerg]

Declaring is not my strongest side, but I'll give it a try.

I think it would have been wise to falsecard with the 9 and 10 of hearts, to hide 2 from West. Doing this, the information we have from a duck or non-duck in trick 2, would be more reliable.

Two plans come to mind:

1) Rise with the ace, take our black tricks, hoping that at least one comes in, and that we do not set up more than one black trick for East. After this we lead towards the ♦'s.

2) Using the Queen. If it hold I take the ace immediately thereafter, hoping East will not unblock form Kxx, giving me the option of going for an endplay, if clubs doesn't break. Good table presence will be needed.

I go for plan 1.

[Phil]

OleBerg, on Mar 16 2009, 11:41 AM, said:

Declaring is not my strongest side, but I'll give it a try.

I think it would have been wise to falsecard with the 9 and 10 of hearts, to hide 2 from West. Doing this, the information we have from a duck or non-duck in trick 2, would be more reliable.

Two plans come to mind:

1) Rise with the ace, take our black tricks, hoping that at least one comes in, and that we do not set up more than one black trick for East. After this we lead towards the ♦'s.

2) Using the Queen. If it hold I take the ace immediately thereafter, hoping East will not unblock form Kxx, giving me the option of going for an endplay, if clubs doesn't break. Good table presence will be needed.

I go for plan 1.

I purposely didn't hide the 2. Why should I expect hearts are 5-2 with the 3 lead? Why wouldn't I tell RHO, "hearts are 4-3", please attack clubs.

Count your tricks. You're going to need one of the black suits to produce an extra trick to get to 8. Its #9 that is the problem.

[OleBerg]

Phil, on Mar 16 2009, 06:44 PM, said:

OleBerg, on Mar 16 2009, 11:41 AM, said:

Declaring is not my strongest side, but I'll give it a try.

I think it would have been wise to falsecard with the 9 and 10 of hearts, to hide 2 from West. Doing this, the information we have from a duck or non-duck in trick 2, would be more reliable.

Two plans come to mind:

1) Rise with the ace, take our black tricks, hoping that at least one comes in, and that we do not set up more than one black trick for East. After this we lead towards the ♦'s.

2) Using the Queen. If it hold I take the ace immediately thereafter, hoping East will not unblock form Kxx, giving me the option of going for an endplay, if clubs doesn't break. Good table presence will be needed.

I go for plan 1.

I purposely didn't hide the 2. Why should I expect hearts are 5-2 with the 3 lead? Why wouldn't I tell RHO, "hearts are 4-3", please attack clubs.

Count your tricks. You're going to need one of the black suits to produce an extra trick to get to 8. Its #9 that is the problem.

Maybe I wasn't specific enough with plan 1:

I have:

3 Spades
1 Heart
1 Diamond
2 Clubs.

That is seven tricks.

I play for one of the black suits to produce an extra trick, and for the ♦K to be onside, or singleton off-side. Or for both black suits to produce an extra trick.

[Fluffy]

Many options, but I think I'd start with ♦Q, next ♦A hoping ♦J falls and hopefully endplay RHO somehow (many endplays possible)