[jdaming]

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Bidding goes:
P - P - 1♦ - P
1♥ - P - 3NT - PO

Lead 5♠

Easy play (that I screwed up) but, how do you do it? (not that easy ♦ are 4-0 with S)

[dkham]

Finesse hearts?

[petergreat]

The lead is won with the Q presumably.

Now count your top tricks: ♠AQ, ♥AK, ♦AKQ. Seven tricks. So you have to establish the diamonds.

There is only one thing which requires more thought: ♦JT9x with South. Then he would lead a club through the ♣K.

You have to guard against ♦JT9x with South. Now what? They have JT9x and you only have KQ above them. A heart finesse isn't good enough, you only have 8 tricks even if it succeeds. A 3-3? Can we do better?

We can give ourselves a few more chances. Firstly don't play diamond Ace. Play a low diamond to the 8. If North covers then the suit is not 4-0 and you are home. If North is void and South forgets to cover your 7 you are home.

Suppose South does play the J (how pesky he is) then you win. You have only 3 diamond tricks, and cannot make any more, so what?

A heart finesse? Might work, might not, is it a bit too dangerous? Is there a better way? Ah yes, you can lead a spade. After cashing his three spades (amounting to 4 tricks for the defense) North is in a dilemma. Maybe he'll lead a club, maybe he'll lead a heart. If he leads a club you won't need the 3-3 hearts as the ♣K is high. If he leads a heart a simple 3-3 or dropping the T9 doubleton will do. See? Much better chances.

[Hanoi5]

I'm not sure about this:

Heart finesse and hearts 3-3 is probably 17%.

Club finesse 50%.

So, play out AKQ of diamonds and a diamond (North might discard clubs, but if he discards spades then giving the first or second diamond might be better). If South returns a club, try the King but he might also continue spades and then the contract is assured.

Also, if heart finesse doesn't work I can't fall back on setting up diamonds as North will surely set-up his/her spades.

[petergreat]

Obviously the opponents took 4 club tricks and the contract.

[Hanoi5]

Quote

Obviously the opponents took 4 club tricks and the contract.

But then it was well played...

We haven't heard what the hand was. And any way hands or actions shouldn't be evaluated on the results. Or better, not only on the results.

[petergreat]

Is there any line better than mine?

[Old York]

You need to combine your chances

After the lead to ♦Ace, take the Heart finesse, if this wins you either need Hearts 3-3 or ♣Ace with South. If the Heart finesse fail, you then need a miracle layout - Spades 4-4 (or 6-2) and Hearts 3-3 and Club Ace with South

Trying to exit in Spades seems fair, but South may win the third Spade, or Spades may be 6-2, and even if North wins, you still do not have 9 tricks on a Club exit

There simply is not an "easy" solution unless ♣Ace is with South
This seems fairly likely as North (non-vul versus vul) passed with a ♦ void?

Tony

[vuroth]

petergreat, on Apr 16 2009, 08:49 AM, said:

Is there any line better than mine?

We weren't given the spade spots. Maybe north started with 6 spades? EDIT: Maybe south has the king?

Besides, if we're only taking 3 diamonds, we only have 7 top tricks after the opening lead. Sure, endplaying North will give us 8 (well assuming south had 4 diamonds, not sure how we'll be helped if NORTH had 4 diamonds), but we need 9.

And the 9th sure isn't coming from hearts being 3-3 in your line, as you've burnt all the entries by the time you concede a spade trick.

V

[vuroth]

Normally, a heart to the king then finesse would give you an extra chance. The thing to like about this is that north leading clubs is not a danger at all. The problem is that if NORTH has 4 diamonds, he returns a spade and waits to collect a ♦, 3♠, and someone gets the A♣.

To guard against north having 4 diamonds, low to the ace. If south shows out, just continue diamonds safely. If south shows out, finesse the heart. If it loses, you're going to need win 3 heart tricks ending on the board, and then finesse the club, unless of course north helps you out by returning a club.

[jdaming]

Okay some good discussion so far. If you finesse the the ♥ you find the Q is with north but good news they do break 3-3 however this is only 3♥, 3♦, 2♠

Everyone is still off though you can make with:
1) A♣N
2) H finesse off (but breaking 3-3)
3) 4 ♦ south

[jdaming]

Sorry for the double but a nice hint there:

Spoiler

What does north pitch on the ♦? (assuming he has 0)

[Old York]

vuroth, on Apr 16 2009, 03:21 PM, said:

as you've burnt all the entries by the time you concede a spade trick

Cashing ♦King at trick 2 preserves an entry, as there is no way to guard against ♦ 4-0, then lead to ♥King etc

If North has 5 Spades, ♥Qxx, ♦Void and ♣Axxxx then why pass?
Spades must be 4-4 or blocked? Can you give us the first 4 cards?

Tony

[vuroth]

Old York, on Apr 16 2009, 09:53 AM, said:

If North has 5 Spades, ♥Qxx, ♦Void and ♣Axxxx then why pass?
Spades must be 4-4 or blocked?

Tony

We don't even know what south played on trick 1. Maybe spades are 6-2, and south inserted the king?

the bidding thing is bugging me a bit, but I would think north would pass with:

J8xxxx
Qxx
v
Axxx

It would be great if I cashed all my winners, ending with the 13th heart, and North ended with:

J
v
v
Axxx

I could just exit a spade and make. However, if I do that, north could just as easily finish with:

Jxxx
v
v
A

in which case I have 0 chance.


I agree that north probably does not have 5305, but that means that north MUST have 6304 or 4306. The first I don't see a way to make (unless north discards incorrectly I guess), but 4306 I can throw him in with spades and make him break clubs for me.

Given that we've departed the realm of "easy" and I'm still not seeing it, I must be missing something elementary.

[Phil]

I think a lot of you are making mountains out of molehills here, but I would like to know what South played on the first spade and what North pitched on the 1st diamond.

I seriously doubt North passed 1♦ with KJxxx(x) of spades and the ♣A.

There's nothing 'safe' at all about taking a heart finesse when the ♣A is onside.

[Hanoi5]

Am I mistaken or what OP wants us to arrive to is:

♠9
♥---
♦---
♣743

♠---
♥---
♦86
♣K8

With the lead in dummy after winning 8 tricks (3 hearts for they were 3-3 ♥Q offside, 3 Diamonds and 2 spades)

The ♠9 endplays North who happened to have 4 spades and South didn't have or didn't save a spade bigger than the 9 or than the other one remaining in his partner's hand. Too much, I think I stick to setting up diamonds and go down...

[Old York]

Hanoi5, on Apr 16 2009, 04:38 PM, said:

The ♠9 endplays North who happened to have 4 spades..

I which case a Club lead would have defeated 3NT anyway?

This hand should never make on normal defense, accept 1 down and move on to the next hand

Tony

[jdaming]

Time to spill the beans:

Scoring: MP

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Hanoi gets the prize for being the closest to what I was going for. However incorrect about the opponent messing up.

Everyone is forgetting what N has to pitch here. ♠ lead goes to the K. (from KJ)

Now declarer pulls 3 rounds of ♦ ending in either hand. To those of you that say this cannot make what would you have north pitch? If you pitch ♥ I will pick up all 4 ♥ tricks. If you pitch ♠ I will take my tricks then exit the 9 of ♠ into you endplaying you in ♣ as you have no ♥ left nor ♦. If you pitch 2 ♣ then dec will play a ♦ into south and when he runs a♣ the ♣ will block in N.

Quote

I which case a Club lead would have defeated 3NT anyway?

how so? 1♣3♦3♥2♠

[Phil]

You might want to mention that South plays the ♠K at T1.

Not that this is relevant or anything LOL.

[vuroth]

jdaming, on Apr 16 2009, 09:10 PM, said:

If you pitch 2 ♣ then dec will play a ♦ into south and when he runs a♣ the ♣ will block in N.

And you'll find north with 4306?

jdaming, on Apr 16 2009, 09:10 PM, said:

If you pitch ♥ I will pick up all 4 ♥ tricks. 

Unless north started with 4 hearts.

..

Maybe I'm just being grumpy, and this is an excellent B/I problem where the point is to visualize the only holding opponents can have where you can make. Certainly the double dummy trick of playing diamonds first is excellent.

Oh well. I usually get these wrong anyways.

V