[paulg]

Scoring: IMP

1♦ 1♥
1♠ 2♣!
2♦ 3♣
3♦ 5♦

Lead: ♣10

---

Partner leads the ♣10, which is NOT a doubleton (as you lead small from 10x including 109). Dummy plays the ♣Q and declarer follows when you play your ♣A.

What now?

[Gerben42]

If partner has led a singleton, then declarer is likely to be 4063, leaving 5521 for partner. I'm likely to score ♣J in this case, but there is a risk of being endplayed with ♦Q, for example if his hand is:

♠AKQx
♥-
♦KJxxxx
♣9xx

If I return ♠, declarer may win, ruff a ♠, play ♦A, ruff a ♥, play ♦K, noticing they are 3-2. Then ♠KQ and the last ♦ to me, forcing me to play a rounded suit.

Conclusion: I'm still giving partner the ruff. Small ♣.

[Codo]

I will return a club too.

[ONEferBRID]

But what if Declarer has the stiff Cl ?
( Could partner be leading from 3 cards: 10 9 x ? )

If so, then I need to know dummys spots .

For example if Dummy is K Q 8 7 x, then returning a Cl
allows Declarer to get rid of one of his/her Ht losers:

Say Declarer is more like this:
Opener
♠ A K Q x
♥ x x
♦ K J x x x x
♣ x

Responder
x
K T 9 x x
A T
K Q 8 7 x

On the 2nd Cl lead Partner has to put up the 9.
Declarer leads the 3rd Rnd of Cl ... the 8 ... and if
you don't cover with the J, s/he pitches the last
losing Ht.
If you do cover, then Declarer ruffs; takes the K, A of Diam
removing both trumps from partner.
The last two Cl provide discards of the 2nd Ht and the losing Sp.

Only two tricks lost: Cl Ace and Diam Q.

[ONEferBRID]

So if Declarer has the stiff Cl ( as in my above post ), you must switch to
a small trump at trick 2. Even if he can now drop
your Diam Q, he can only get rid of 1 of his 3 losers ( 1s,2h ) in hand.

Your side gets 3 tricks total.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

If your partner has the stiff Cl, ( ie 9 x x and a Ht void as in the post by Gerben) switch to a trump anyway.
Declarer will lose another natural Cl and a Sp if he plays
to drop your Diam Q. If he ruffs the losing Sp, you will win your
Diam Q.

Your side again gets 3 tricks.

[gnasher]

ONEferBRID, on Jun 18 2009, 06:32 PM, said:

If your partner has the stiff Cl, ( ie 9 x x and a Ht void as in the post by Gerben)  switch to a trump anyway.
Declarer will lose another natural Cl and a Sp if he plays
to drop your Diam Q.  If he ruffs the losing Sp, you will win your
Diam Q.

Your side again gets 3 tricks.

Declarer wins ♦10, ruffs a spade with ♦A, ruffs a heart, cashes ♦K, cashes the top spades, and endplays you with the third round of diamonds - it's just a slight variation on what Gerben described.

This post has been edited by gnasher: 2009-June-18, 12:02

[gnasher]

ONEferBRID, on Jun 18 2009, 06:32 PM, said:

So if Declarer has the stiff Cl ( as in my above post ), you must switch to
a small trump at trick 2.  Even if he can now drop
your Diam Q, he can only get rid of 1 of his 3 losers ( 1s,2h ) in hand.

That's not necessary, is it? We can just make the more natural play of a spade and leave declarer to go down peacefully.

This post has been edited by gnasher: 2009-June-18, 12:04

[benlessard]

Partner will not lead for 3 low clubs when dummy is sure to have 5 of them. Even holding 3 baby H and t9x of clubs and no other lead its preferable to lead a H since opener with Hx in H would be happy to rebid 3H instead of 3D and responder will be happy to rebid 3H instead of 5D with 5 good H that are playable facing xx. So with this bidding its much more likely that declarer pitch H losers on clubs than the other way around.

Im sure that partner got a stiff at least 95% of the time and I agree with Gerben that returning a non-club is asking to be endplayed.

[ONEferBRID]

Duh, thx...
I see the endplay now.

[se12sam]

benlessard, on Jun 18 2009, 09:57 PM, said:

Partner will not lead for 3 low clubs when dummy is sure to have 5 of them. Even holding 3 baby H and t9x of clubs and no other lead its preferable to lead a H since opener with Hx in H would be happy to rebid 3H instead of 3D and responder will be happy to rebid 3H instead of 5D with 5 good H that are playable facing xx. So with this bidding its much more likely that declarer pitch H losers on clubs than the other way around.

Im sure that partner got a stiff at least 95% of the time and  I agree with Gerben that  returning a non-club is asking to be endplayed.

Agreed that partner should have a singleton club, and after all these comments I am still convinced the best return is a low club.

However, a (late) thought that comes to mind is "If West is the hand approx that Gerben shows, why did West not bid 3♠ to investigate a 3NT declared by East?". As luck would have it, our ♦Qxx means that 3NT should be cold on a finesse even after a low spade opening lead. And after any other opening lead, it should be even easier to score 9 tricks in 3NT.

[paulg]

Declarer held

♠AKQx
♥x
♦Jxxxxxx
♣x

and you need to cash the ♥A to beat the contract.

As no-one mentioned this option, I'll blame the partner who led a club holding

♠Jxxxx
♥Jxxx
♦K
♣T9x

Although, despite benlessard's well-reasoned comment, I don't think I'll blame anyone too much.

[gnasher]

It's also necessary to cash a heart if he has AQJx x KJ9xxxx x. There is some reason for thinking declarer is 4-7: he chose to bid a moderate diamond suit for a third time, rather than bidding either 4♣ or 3♥. This might be easier at the table, where you'd have declarer's tempo over 3♣ to help.

[ONEferBRID]

I'll accept all apologies in advance from those who thought my suggestion was offbase that partner led the Cl 10 from : 10 9 x ...

Too bad I didn't think of cashing the Ht Ace even if Declarer has 2 cards in Hts.
He is going to get a discard anyway on the high Cl in dummy,
so cashing the Ace doesn't hurt ( and eliminates any endplay situation ).

THEN return a Sp ( as suggested by gnasher earlier ) and "wait" for your setting trick with the Diam Q .

[benlessard]

I think that opener 2D is a catch all bid and can show a balanced hand like

AKQx
xx
KJxx
xxx

so when he rebid 3D hes showing repeating D for the first time imo.

[jdonn]

I am far from saying I would have gotten this right. But it does seem clear to me partner was far more likely to have T9x of clubs than a stiff club. I would not base my defense on partner holding a stiff club if it gave me worse chances opposite T9x.

[ONEferBRID]

benlessard, on Jun 19 2009, 10:50 AM, said:

I think that opener 2D is a catch all bid and can show a balanced hand like

AKQx
xx
KJxx
xxx

so when he rebid 3D hes showing repeating D for the first time imo.

Ben Lessard ( sry.. not Jdonn )
For the hand you show, you can make what Max Hardy ( author of TWO OVER ONE GAME FORCE ) calls: " The Least Plausible Bid" after 4th Suit Game Force in order to distinguish between a 5/6 or 4/4 hand for Opener.

And that is a repeat of Spades in the original post:

1D - 1H
1S - 2C!
2S! = either a rare 5s/6d hand
or a 4s/4d hand because
of an equally rare problem rebid:
-- no 3 cards Hts ( 2H )
-- no 4 cards Cl ( 3C )
-- no 5+ cards Diam ( 2D )
-- no stop in Hts ( 2NT )

If Opener rebids SPADES again, it is the 5s/6d hand.
If Opener makes ANY other rebid, it is the 4s/4d hand .

[jdonn]

What hand did I show?

[Fluffy]

jdonn, on Jun 19 2009, 04:48 PM, said:

What hand did I show?

it was your left hand I think