[Apollo81]

♠Jxx
♥9x
♦JTxx
♣AQxx

♠AKxx
♥Axx
♦Ax
♣KJxx

1♣ (1♥) 2♣ (p) 3NT (all pass)

LHO leads ♥K, and will continue with the ♥Q if able. RHO plays 2-8. Opps' carding isn't reliable.

Plan the play.

[Echognome]

I kinda like taking the 2nd round of hearts, cashing 4 clubs and exiting a heart. Of course that's embarassing if hearts are 6-2. But should give all kinds of trouble for the opponents otherwise.

[ONEferBRID]

You have eight off the top.
Win 3rd Ht.
While you are still in control of Diam, take Sp Ace, and then
play LHO ( the Overcaller ) for the Sp Q ( by leading toward the J )...
if it doesn't work, Sp may split 3-3....
I believe the combined chance is over 85%.

-------------------------------------------------------
Duh.... "brainfade"...
This doesn't work.

[jjbrr]

ONEferBRID, on Jul 7 2009, 04:59 PM, said:

You have eight off the top.
Win 3rd Ht.
While you are still in control of Diam, take Sp Ace, and then
play LHO ( the Overcaller ) for the Sp Q ( by leading toward the J )...
if it doesn't work, Sp may split 3-3....
I believe the combined chance is over 85%.

doesnt lefty win the spade and set you?

[karlson]

I don't really see what kind of trouble they're going to be in on the run of the hearts. Righty will just pitch as many diamonds as he wants, and don't forget that we have to make two pitches from our hand, and we have no entry to dummy.

I'll just win the third heart and try to drop the spade, surviving if it's Qxx on my right.

[jdonn]

I win the second heart and I play four rounds of clubs ending in my hand. Who knows, maybe LHO was squeezed with Qxx of spades and the KQ of diamonds, he would have to throw a heart giving you several winning options. In fact on any hand with Qxx of spades LHO is squeezed, to keep his hearts he will have to discard down to a singleton diamond letting you play the ace then throw him in with a heart. Of course it will take some card reading.

Edit: I now see RHO could win the heart exit. What's our spot?

[Apollo81]

There's no legitimate way to make on the actual lie of the cards, but I like Josh's line best because it combines several chances:

1. LHO might have had ♠Qxx ♥KQ??? ♦KQ ♣xxx, he's squeezed on the fourth club.

2. LHO might choose to win the third heart.

3. LHO might be forced to win the third heart if for some reason he had KQJT7 and RHO has played the 8 for no reason.

On the actual deal, LHO had Qxx KQJ7x Qx xxx, declarer chose to win the ♥A on the third round, and LHO pitched a spade on the fourth club.

[Phil]

If LHO has ♥KQJxx, RHO won't have enough goodies to get squoze.

But LHO might and I agree with Noble's line.

By the way, if you think your opponents will never go wrong in these cases, there was a hand yesterday in the Seniors USBF where Gerstman (I think) had to pitch away from ♠QTx and ♦Jxx. He guessed wrong.

Edited:

Quote

In fact on any hand with Qxx of spades LHO is squeezed, to keep his hearts he will have to discard down to a singleton diamond letting you play the ace then throw him in with a heart. Of course it will take some card reading.

You can also judge to lay off the 2nd heart and just establish a diamond trick by force.

[jdonn]

Phil, on Jul 8 2009, 10:48 AM, said:

You can also judge to lay off the 2nd heart and just establish a diamond trick by force.

I had thought of that, but then you can only play three rounds of clubs to keep an entry to the diamond, so it doesn't work.

[Phil]

jdonn, on Jul 8 2009, 10:55 AM, said:

Phil, on Jul 8 2009, 10:48 AM, said:

You can also judge to lay off the 2nd heart and just establish a diamond trick by force.

I had thought of that, but then you can only play three rounds of clubs to keep an entry to the diamond, so it doesn't work.

Yes, true. RHO can't keep you off the board if he holds ♠Q, but then LHO isn't squoze.

It would work however if LHO is 4=5=2=2, since you could just cash the ♠AK, your clubs and play ♦A, ♦, but you'd obviously see the spade pitch earlier.

[Fluffy]

what's wrong with ducking 2 hearts, cashing 4 clubs and playing 3 rounds of spades?, I'd like to make the ocntract if LHO has ♠Qx or ♠xxx or overweight (endplay if you read correctly)

[ONEferBRID]

This is patterned after jdonn's squeeze on LHO.
Take the 3rd round of Hts ( noting the 5-3 split ).
Run your Clubs ending in hand.
If Lefty felt the need to pitch one of his Hts,
now you can lead a small Sp toward the J.

[jdonn]

ONEferBRID, on Jul 8 2009, 06:39 PM, said:

This is patterned after jdonn's squeeze on LHO.
    Take the 3rd round of Hts ( noting the 5-3 split ).
        Run your Clubs ending in hand.
            If Lefty felt the need to pitch one of his Hts,
              now you can lead a small Sp toward the J.

That will only work if he has KQ of diamonds. Otherwise he can save Qxx of spades, both hearts, and a diamond that is not the king. You will be forced to play ace and a diamond and hope RHO is endplayed to lead from the queen of spades, or to simply try to drop the spade queen.

You could also follow Fluffy's line, which goes down some other times but is not bad.

[jdonn]

Fluffy, on Jul 8 2009, 06:20 PM, said:

what's wrong with ducking 2 hearts, cashing 4 clubs and playing 3 rounds of spades?, I'd like to make the ocntract if LHO has ♠Qx or ♠xxx or overweight (endplay if you read correctly)

You give up on LHO having Qxx(x) of spades. Which is not to say it's wrong, but that seems like a really big cost.

[gnasher]

jdonn, on Jul 9 2009, 12:41 AM, said:

That will only work if he has KQ of diamonds. Otherwise he can save Qxx of spades, both hearts, and a diamond that is not the king.

He can also save Qxx of spades, both hearts, and a diamond that is the king. You can "endplay" him with ♦K, but he has five tricks.

Holding onto ♦K would be a good idea if the lead happened to be in dummy at the time.