[Phil]

You might recognize the South hand from another post.

Its MPs and you're in 4♠ after LHO overcalls an Unusual 2N:

---

The lead is a small club, K, Ace and you ruff.

11 tricks looks certain. Can you see a way to 12?

[gdawg01]

LHO is atleast 5-5 in minors and has atmost 10xxxx in clubs, so I am going to play him for AJxxx in diamonds.

Maybe a hand like
x
Kx
AJxxx
10xxxx

or

-
KQx
AJxxx
10xxxx

?

Draw trumps ending in hand (South) and lead the ten of diamonds. If LHO plays low, let the ten ride and play another diamond to the Q. LHO cannot afford to duck this as then I have no diamond losers and only a heart loser. If they fly Ace, the king of diamonds can be used for a heart discard.


Ofcourse, if LHO Unu 2Ned on something like

-
KQx
Jxxxx
10xxxx

then I should play low diamond and hope LHO covers with jack

[se12sam]

Trick 1: ♣x - K - A - ♠x
Trick 2: ♠A - x - x - x
Trick 3: ♦x

1. If West ducks, I put up the Queen from dummy* and discard both diamonds on the ♣Q and ♣J. Now I will have time to ruff both the ♣x and the ♦x back to hand. This needs clubs to be 6-3 or 5-4 and trumps to be 3-1 or 2-2
2. If West puts up the Ace, I will have time to discard dummy's low heart on ♦K and ruff ♣x back in hand.
   In both cases, I can make 12 tricks by ruffing dummy's losers in hand with unbeatable trump cards. Will this work?

* If the queen loses to East, I can play West for ♥KQ, ♦J and club length, and try some sort of squeeze (don't know how...)

[quiddity]

se12sam, on Apr 30 2009, 10:41 AM, said:

Trick 1: ♣x - K - A - ♠x
Trick 2: ♠A - x - x - x
Trick 3: ♦x

1. If West ducks, I put up the Queen from dummy* and discard both diamonds on the ♣Q and ♣J. Now I will have time to ruff both the ♣x and the ♦x back to hand. This needs clubs to be 6-3 or 5-4 and trumps to be 3-1 or 2-2

How will you get back to dummy to ruff the last minor suit loser? I think it's better to play a diamond to the Q at trick 2.

[kenrexford]

This doesn't seem that complicated.

I mean, sure. The line is the Morton's Fork. But, why touch anything except a diamond at trick two?

If LHO rises and returns anything but a heart, win, cross to dummy's diamond Queen, ruff another club, and play two top spades. You might need to cash the diamond King, pitching a heart, before Ace-ruff in hearts to pull remaining trumps and claiming.

If LHO ducks, and the Queen wins, then cash two top clubs, ditching your remaining diamonds. Ruff another club. Then, play Ace and out a heart. If you get a trump back, win in hand, ruff a heart, ruff the diamond, ruff a heart, and pull trumps.

If LHO ducks, and the Queen loses to the Ace, a heart is coming back now, so the squeeze is anti-percentage to pursue, because you now need spades 2-2. But, if you NEED the extra trick, win the Ace. Play a spade to dummy and ruff a club with the spade Ace. Now the Jack of spades overtaking on dummy. If spades were 2-2, LHO presumably had 2-1-5-5 shape. Play two top clubs. You need LHO to have started with precisely xx-x-xxxxx-10xxxx, although he could have a stiff heart honor. Because that's not remarkably different from xx-x-Jxxxx-10xxxx, I suppose this implausible ending is possible.