[inquiry]

We have all seen and kibitzed Jimmy Cayne matches, some of us have played in them (in my case with not a good result for me). All these hands will be from Feb 2, 2009 match. Here is the first hand from that match on the BBO, see how you would do. Note: these actual hands and not problem hands, per se. Most will not be a major challenge BBO forum regulars.

Eventually we will assign imps for different actions.

Scoring: IMP

You arrive at 3NT from your side of the table. (This was board 1, rotatated so that declarer (you) were sitting "south". First three tricks were:

1. W ♥3-6-K-4
2. E ♥9-7-J-8
3. W ♥2-T-♠4-♥A

---

So now what to do? Plan your play.

Scoring: IMP

You arrive at 3NT from your side of the table. (This was board 1, rotatated so that declarer (you) were sitting "south". First three tricks were:

1. W ♥3-6-K-4
2. E ♥9-7-J-8
3. W ♥2-T-♠4-♥A

---

[Phil]

I think this is a pretty tough hand. I have 6 off the top. The heart carding and the spade discard probably puts the ♠K on my right, which can get me to 7. RHO is probably 5=2=3=3 / 5=2=4=2 or 5=2=2=4. There just aren't enough tricks, and I don't see a squeeze developing here.

I really think I need clubs 3-3. Even if RHO is 5224, I'll lose 5 tricks. Obviously I can't let LHO on lead. The outstanding club spots are Q-J-T-8-3-2.

LHO needs to hold Q32 / J32 or T32 without a defensive error. I think I can also survive with T82 / T83 on my left, since I can duck RHO's club, even if they try to unblock the QJx.

I can't legitimately make on J8x or Q8x either.

There are some interesting end positions involving some endplays against RHO when he's 5242, but I can see them only getting me to 8 tricks and not 9.

Curious to see the right answer here.

[Echognome]

I agree with Phil. I think the key to the hand is to try to set up clubs without LHO getting in. So I lead a club towards dummy and try to duck one into RHO. If LHO plays a middling club then I rise with the K and play a club back towards hand. If RHO plays low then I rise again and hope RHO has Qxx. On some layouts I can accomplish ducking to RHO and on others they may make a defensive error. I don't really see anything else I can do.

[cherdanno]

I would also try to duck a club to East. If we can do that, we will also make when RHO is 5=2=2=4.
If we cannot duck one of the first two club tricks to East, we have a guess - play a 3rd round, playing him for 5=2=3=3, or cash two diamonds and exit to East, playing him for 5=2=2=4.

[se12sam]

I need the ♠K with East. And a lucky 3-3 in clubs -- pretty much what Phil said. I start by playing ♣4 towards dummy.
- If West follows with the ♣2 or ♣3, I can run it to East. Win East's ♦? return in dummy, cash ♣K and play low spade to ♠Q. I need clubs to be 3-3. Then I can make 2♠, 4♣, 2♦ and 1♥
- In the more likely case of West playing a higher club, I win in dummy and play back a club -- hopping up with the Ace. I need West to hold a 3-card suit missing both Q&J.

[Phil]

cherdanno, on Jul 1 2009, 03:12 PM, said:

we will also make when RHO is 5=2=2=4.

no

[kenrexford]

To make 3NT, we need the spade King to the right.

If spades split 3-3, and RHO has the King, we can establish spades without any risk of LHO getting in in that suit. That gets us up to three spades, a heart, two diamonds, and two clubs, for 8 tricks. We would then have a possibility of a club-diamond squeeze.

So, suppose I now lead a diamond toward dummy, planning to cover LHO's card. If I casn play the 9, RHO will win and presumably might return a diamond, say. I now win the King and play a spade to the Ace and out. If RHO pops King and plays another diamond, won in dummy, I cross to the spade Queen, back to dummy's club King, and cash the set-up spade, perhaps squeezing RHO in diamonds and clubs.

I may be off somewhat, and there may be counters.

But, if LHO has five hearts, and if he needs exactly three cards in either spades or clubs to have any chance, then he might well have 5332 shape with three in the needed black suit. If he has three spades, then 3532 allows this line to succeed. 3523 also allows success if LHO errs or does not have any top club honor.

Since the bidding is not provided, but we know LHO to have five hearts, I suspect some sort of 5332 as the actual layout.

So, my inclination, after all of this, is to run along these lines, of working on spades for three tricks and some sort of diamond-club squeeze on rightie.

[Echognome]

Ken - If you think LHO is 5332 shape, isn't there a good chance that clubs are 3-3?

[kenrexford]

Echognome, on Jul 1 2009, 03:31 PM, said:

Ken - If you think LHO is 5332 shape, isn't there a good chance that clubs are 3-3?

Well, of course. But, I already know that I must have the spade King to my right. If RHO has Kxx in spades, I may well have an easy route to the squeeze.

I'm not sure which line is actually better. But, I generally tend to like lines that seems tied to and suggested by necessary assumptions. Attacking spades with a minor squeeze seems somehow tied in with the idea of the spade King assumption, somehow.

[se12sam]

kenrexford, on Jul 1 2009, 09:35 PM, said:

Well, of course.  But, I already know that I must have the spade King to my right.  If RHO has Kxx in spades, I may well have an easy route to the squeeze.

If this is correct, the question remains as to why RHO threw a low spade on the 3rd heart when he had other discards available.

[Phil]

kenrexford, on Jul 1 2009, 03:29 PM, said:

I may be off somewhat, and there may be counters.

When RHO is 3244, he has an easy counter of a club shift, and a club continuation after winning the diamond cheap and the ♠K to break up the squeeze.

Also, in your line, I'd avoid cashing the ♠A. Obviously we don't have the J, and RHO has an easy unblock which sets up an entry for LHO when he has Jxx.

At the table, we'd all know if the spade pitch was from 3 or 5, but I'd bet on 5.

[kenrexford]

se12sam, on Jul 1 2009, 03:40 PM, said:

kenrexford, on Jul 1 2009, 09:35 PM, said:

Well, of course.  But, I already know that I must have the spade King to my right.  If RHO has Kxx in spades, I may well have an easy route to the squeeze.

If this is correct, the question remains as to why RHO threw a low spade on the 3rd heart when he had other discards available.

Actually, that confirms a lot.

We MUST have the King to the right. If RHO has three spades, Kxx, then he can afford a spade play. He might not make that play except that he needs to save diamonds and clubs. hence, the spade play implies that the squeeze is actually working.

If RHO had held Kxxx, then the spade play assures that spades split well enough to bring in spades, and it also makes it more likely that the squeeze is working, because RHO just ditched a card that assuredly was costly.

But, I think RHO's play was from Kxx all along. Hence, he seems to have 4-4 in the minors and does not want to commit to any minor pitch.

As to the jettison, if RHO jettisons the spade King under the ace, then we play a spade to the Queen and NOW try the club line.

As for the idea that RHO can counter the spades-then-squeeze line by attacking clubs at trick two and then again later, I'll pay off to that lot of people who come up with trick-two lines to break up obscure squeeze lines that no one except me so far has pursued. I won't pay off to all of the others who miss that defense.

[gnasher]

Phil, on Jul 1 2009, 09:25 PM, said:

cherdanno, on Jul 1 2009, 03:12 PM, said:

we will also make when RHO is 5=2=2=4.

no

Yes, as long as we play for that shape.

[Phil]

gnasher, on Jul 1 2009, 05:37 PM, said:

Phil, on Jul 1 2009, 09:25 PM, said:

cherdanno, on Jul 1 2009, 03:12 PM, said:

we will also make when RHO is 5=2=2=4.

no

Yes, as long as we play for that shape.

Don't you need to guess the spade J/10?

[xcurt]

Just so I've answered all 5, I would lead a club toward the K6.

[gnasher]

Phil, on Jul 2 2009, 12:05 AM, said:

gnasher, on Jul 1 2009, 05:37 PM, said:

Phil, on Jul 1 2009, 09:25 PM, said:

cherdanno, on Jul 1 2009, 03:12 PM, said:

we will also make when RHO is 5=2=2=4.

no

Yes, as long as we play for that shape.

Don't you need to guess the spade J/10?

You have to play East for ♠K: duck a club to East, win the diamond return in dummy, cash the other club, play a diamond to hand, and play two more rounds of clubs.

[cherdanno]

gnasher, on Jul 2 2009, 02:14 AM, said:

Phil, on Jul 2 2009, 12:05 AM, said:

gnasher, on Jul 1 2009, 05:37 PM, said:

Phil, on Jul 1 2009, 09:25 PM, said:

cherdanno, on Jul 1 2009, 03:12 PM, said:

we will also make when RHO is 5=2=2=4.

no

Yes, as long as we play for that shape.

Don't you need to guess the spade J/10?

You have to play East for ♠K: duck a club to East, win the diamond return in dummy, cash the other club, play a diamond to hand, and play two more rounds of clubs.

I think you and me miscounted trick. This line gives you 2 spades, one heart, 2 diamonds, and 3 clubs.

[gnasher]

Quite right - sorry Phil.

[gnasher]

Regarding Ken's line, I agree that it's quite likely that RHO is 3244. What would he pitch but a spade with Kxx Kx Q10xx Q10xx?

However, I don't see any prospect of the squeeze line working against reasonable opposition. Say we manage to duck a diamond to East, and he returns a diamond. Now we cross to a spade and East doesn't unblock, so we play a spade back to his king. Surely now he should work out both that he's in danger of being squeezed and that my entries are in a mess? He has only clubs and diamonds left, and he can see that a diamond return will lead to a squeeze, so he has no choice but to play a club.

This post has been edited by gnasher: 2009-July-02, 06:39

[kenrexford]

gnasher, on Jul 2 2009, 03:13 AM, said:

Regarding Ken's line, I agree that it's quite likely that RHO is 3244. What would he pitch but a spade with Kxx Kx Q10xx Q10xx?

However, I don't see any prospect of the squeeze line working against reasonable opposition. Say we manage to duck a diamond to East, and he returns a diamond. Now we cross to a spade and East doesn't unblock, so we play a spade back to his king. Surely now he should work out both that he's in danger of being squeezed and that my entries are in a mess? He has only clubs and diamond left, and he can see that a diamond return will lead to a squeeze, so he has no choice but to play a club.

Yeah, that's a problem. Maybe the spades need to be worked on first?