[kfay]

Scoring: IMP

P-(1♠)-1N-(P)
2♣-(3♠)-P-(P)
Dbl-All Pass

---

Partner's 2♣ is Stayman and his double just shows 'cards'

You know that Pard really hates it when the opp's bid like this, and you've both paid for it before, so you strap yourself in and lead the ♣A.

Partner plays the ♣2 on the first trick. You play upside-down signals.

What is your plan? Be Specific!!!!

[TylerE]

A♠, ♠, and let declarer break the side suits is my gut instinct.

[vuroth]

Declarer has at most 2 ♦s. Let's cut off his entries to dummy.

EDIT:

If declarer is 7303, then he's not going to be running diamonds, so I'm less worried. I think the worrisome holding is 7321, soemthing like KQxxxxx xxx Kx x. In this case, He's going to be looking to throw hearts on the diamonds.

For this holding, forcing diamonds early doesn't really help. I think for that holding, I need to switch to hearts now.

V

[Apollo81]

Why on earth wouldn't I just cash ♣K and give partner his club ruff, giving suit preference for hearts? Am I missing something? Do I not trust partner's signal?

[jdonn]

Partner should NOT play the 2 from four small. I have gotten into arguments with people before about whether his card should be high because it's attitude, or high because it's count but he lies because he doesn't want you to think he has a doubleton, but in either case he should play high from xxxx. So I cash the ace and give partner his ruff.

Btw I hate the 1NT bid. Much prefer double, and perhaps even prefer 2♣ although that's irrelevant since I know I would double.

[kfay]

jdonn, on Apr 2 2009, 12:48 PM, said:

Partner should NOT play the 2 from four small. I have gotten into arguments with people before about whether his card should be high because it's attitude, or high because it's count but he lies because he doesn't want you to think he has a doubleton, but in either case he should play high from xxxx. So I cash the ace and give partner his ruff.

Btw I hate the 1NT bid. Much prefer double, and perhaps even prefer 2♣ although that's irrelevant since I know I would double.

Alright well then partner plays the 8. (I was partner and acutally DID play the 8 but my partner eventually went wrong afterward, which is why I gave the problem like it is)

Anyway, probably the solution is obvious at this point. But partner plays a discouraging club.

[rbforster]

Assuming partner wouldn't Stayman on this sequence without exactly 4 hearts, we can guess from the discouraging club at T1 that declarer is likely 7312 or 7321. I certainly don't want to break hearts, so I'll lead a low diamond - I suppose this pays off a little to declarer holding Kx♦ and getting a useful heart pitch, but when he's got a singleton diamond (which seems more likely given partner's likely club length), it could be the only safe exit and it attacks his entries before he can set up the Q♣.

[jdonn]

Rob F, on Apr 2 2009, 01:07 PM, said:

Assuming partner wouldn't Stayman on this sequence without exactly 4 hearts, we can guess from the discouraging club at T1 that declarer is likely 7312 or 7321. I certainly don't want to break hearts, so I'll lead a low diamond - I suppose this pays off a little to declarer holding Kx♦ and getting a useful heart pitch, but when he's got a singleton diamond (which seems more likely given partner's likely club length), it could be the only safe exit and it attacks his entries before he can set up the Q♣.

I pretty much agree, I switch to a diamond, trying to cut off declarer from dummy. A heart could be right though. I admit to not having given it deep thought so I could be missing something.

[vuroth]

Partner has 8+ right? Which would mean that declarer has 8-, right?

Ok, this is something I'm not very good at, but what hands exactly make sense for declarer to have? Declarer is vulnerable, and has stuck his foot in at the 3 level, with 8- points. I can only think of two:

QJxxxxx Axx x(x) x(x)
KQxxxxx xxx Kx x

I realize it's moot now, but if partner was single in clubs, then declarer had:

HHxxxxx Hx v xxxx
HHxxxxx v Hx xxxx

or something similar

So I really think that declarer has one of the A♥ or K♦.

If declarer has the K♦, a ♥ is right. If declarer has the A♥, a ♦ is probably better, but if I play a ♥, I think the Q♥ is better.

So I'll lead the Q♥

V

PS - maybe if I post enough different answers sooner or later I'll get it right.

[se12sam]

jdonn, on Apr 2 2009, 07:09 PM, said:

Rob F, on Apr 2 2009, 01:07 PM, said:

Assuming partner wouldn't Stayman on this sequence without exactly 4 hearts, we can guess from the discouraging club at T1 that declarer is likely 7312 or 7321.  I certainly don't want to break hearts, so I'll lead a low diamond - I suppose this pays off a little to declarer holding Kx♦ and getting a useful heart pitch, but when he's got a singleton diamond (which seems more likely given partner's likely club length), it could be the only safe exit and it attacks his entries before he can set up the Q♣.

I pretty much agree, I switch to a diamond, trying to cut off declarer from dummy. A heart could be right though. I admit to not having given it deep thought so I could be missing something.

I'm not sure about this, but when I first looked at the problem I thought of a diamond as well. But in that case, isn't the ♦Q a stronger lead?

If we lead a low ♦, declarer will finesse -- partner will have to win with the King and eventually declarer will make an undeserved diamond trick.

Edit: On second thoughts, I think the ♦Q is trying to be too clever. I'm not sure of an answer anymore.

[vuroth]

If declarer is 7321 or 7312, it doesn't matter what diamond you lead. The important point is that your side win the THIRD round of diamonds, after which declarer can't get back to dummy.

[quiddity]

The danger is that declarer has 6 spade tricks and the HA. If he can get 2 diamond tricks, he's home. The ST could very well be an entry here, so I think I would play SA and another spade. When declarer leads a diamond, I go up with the Q on the first round playing him for KQJxxxx Axx xx x.

[jdonn]

quiddity, on Apr 2 2009, 02:46 PM, said:

The danger is that declarer has 6 spade tricks and the HA. If he can get 2 diamond tricks, he's home. The ST could very well be an entry here, so I think I would play SA and another spade. When declarer leads a diamond, I go up with the Q on the first round playing him for KQJxxxx Axx xx x.

Then a heart works just as well, while not losing if declarer has a similar hand with diamond king instead of heart ace. It's true then a diamond switch is bad too, but it's paying off to a different layout, so you may as well make the play the caters to your layout and another one as well.

[quiddity]

jdonn, on Apr 2 2009, 02:48 PM, said:

quiddity, on Apr 2 2009, 02:46 PM, said:

The danger is that declarer has 6 spade tricks and the HA.  If he can get 2 diamond tricks, he's home.  The ST could very well be an entry here, so I think I would play SA and another spade.  When declarer leads a diamond, I go up with the Q on the first round playing him for KQJxxxx Axx xx x.

Then a heart works just as well, while not losing if declarer has a similar hand with diamond king instead of heart ace.

Fine, give him the HT too.. KQJxxxx ATx xx x. I agree it's possible that he could have DK instead of HA, but I think he would be more likely to open 3S with that hand.

[hanp]

♦Q.

[vuroth]

quiddity, on Apr 2 2009, 02:46 PM, said:

...playing him for KQJxxxx Axx xx x.

That leaves partner with xx Qxxx Kxx Jxxx, and he's bidding stayman over our 1NT overcall.

Does this seem right?

[quiddity]

vuroth, on Apr 2 2009, 03:38 PM, said:

quiddity, on Apr 2 2009, 02:46 PM, said:

...playing him for KQJxxxx Axx xx x.

That leaves partner with xx Qxxx Kxx Jxxx, and he's bidding stayman over our 1NT overcall.

Does this seem right?

Oops.. I expect 1NT to have a wider range over 1S (since we can't hope to double and bid 1NT to show 19-20), but perhaps this is too light for stayman. Oh well.

[kfay]

The full deal is:

Scoring: IMPs baby!... IMPS!

---

You need a pointed-suit switch at trick two. The key is that whenever diamonds are played you must go in with the Q. This holds declarer to 1 diamond trick.

As far as what card partner should play at trick one, I've never thought too much about it. It would be nice to play suit preference so West can know not to switch to hearts but I guess it's possible declarer could be 7303 so East should be able to signal a come-on in clubs.