[Phil]

Scoring: BAM

1C - 1H - 1N - P;
P - 2D - x - AP

---

Pard leads a low diamond, low, 9, Q

Declarer exits the ♥10 to pard's Q.

Pard leads a middle club to your King and you play a trump back won by declarer's A. Declarer plays ♥A (pard plays small) and ruffs a heart (9 from pard) in dummy.

We now look at:

Scoring: BAM

1C - 1H - 1N - P;
P - 2D - x - AP

---

Small spade from the board now.

Rise or duck?

[dake50]

Partner sure looks to have a trump tenace. Twice not leading D: opening lead then in HQ. Rise SA for D-x.

[Phil]

dake50, on Jul 10 2009, 05:55 PM, said:

Partner sure looks to have a trump tenace. Twice not leading D: opening lead then in HQ. Rise SA for D-x.

Pard led a trump originally.

[karlson]

Sure looks like declarer started with x AT98x AQJx QJx. If that's the position I need to hop and play another spade for -2.

The club spots would help -- but I think if partner has Hxx, we're getting -2 no matter what I do.

[Phil]

karlson, on Jul 10 2009, 06:15 PM, said:

Sure looks like declarer started with x AT98x AQJx QJx. If that's the position I need to hop and play another spade for -2.

The club spots would help -- but I think if partner has Hxx, we're getting -2 no matter what I do.

With this pard, we play 3/5 pretty religiously. So you can assume the club lead is from Hxx or Hxxx.

[gnasher]

I play ♠A and two more rounds of clubs. Here is why:

Partner has ♥KQ and ♦K, so he can't have ♠K as well.

At the other table North, who doesn't hate his partner, will bid 2♠. That is at most one down. Although 3NT may make on some layouts, it's very unlikely to be bid. Therefore our objective is to score 300. (The purity of this analysis is a good example of why BAM is better than pairs.)

If declarer has Kx A109xx AQJx Hx, I can take the ace and play two more rounds of clubs for two down - declarer loses control. Alternatively, I can duck; we still get two down as long as partner plays more clubs next time he's s in.

If declarer has K A109xx AQJx Qxx, eveything seems to lead to one down. If I duck, declarer exits with a trump, and partner has to be careful to cash the heart and exit with a spade, endplaying declarer for one down. If I win and exit with a diamond, partner is endplayed to give declarer his seventh trick in clubs. If I win and exit with a low club, declarer plays a diamond, we force declarer's last trump, and declarer exits with a heart, leaving partner with only losers.

If declarer has K A109xx AQJx Jxx, I have to take ♠A to get two down.

This post has been edited by gnasher: 2009-July-11, 05:17

[Phil]

gnasher, on Jul 11 2009, 06:16 AM, said:

If declarer has Kx A109xx AQJx Hx, I can take the ace and play two more rounds of clubs for two down - declarer loses control.

This was the hand, but if you grab your ♠A, declarer doesn't lose control. He unblocks the K, takes the club tap and plays two more spades and has to come to 3 diamonds, ♥A, heart ruff, one spade and either a 4th trump (if pard ruffs the 3rd spade) or a 2nd spade (if pard doesn't).

If you duck the spade, declarer wins and knocks out the heart. The defense continues the tap and declarer can't score more than 6 tricks, as you indicate.

[gnasher]

Phil, on Jul 11 2009, 08:15 PM, said:

This was the hand, but if you grab your ♠A, declarer doesn't lose control. He unblocks the K, takes the club tap and plays two more spades and has to come to 3 diamonds, ♥A, heart ruff, one spade and either a 4th trump (if pard ruffs the 3rd spade) or a 2nd spade (if pard doesn't).

Actually, I ruff the third round of spades, having thrown a spade on the third round of hearts.

I didn't mention that earlier because I thought it was obvious. And also because I've only just thought of it.

[aguahombre]

gnasher, on Jul 11 2009, 02:26 PM, said:

I didn't mention that earlier because I thought it was obvious.  And also because I've only just thought of it.