[PFormaini]

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1♣ - (1♥) - 2♣ - (4♥) - 5♣ - P - P - P

Opening lead: 3♦[/NORTHSOUTH]

QUESTION: Assuming BEST PLAY and BEST DEFENSE following the opening lead can South make 5 Clubs if the layout is as above?

If you answer YES, state your line of play.

If your answer is NO, state your justification.

(Obviously WEST is threatening to win the 2nd round of trumps, underlead to partner's K♥, and ruff the diamond return.)

[mtvesuvius]

Cayuga.

[se12sam]

Considering 5♣ is cold, maybe E/W should have found the 5♥ sac. What was the vulnerability?

[Mbodell]

Assuming best play means double dummy best play, and quite possible even best IMP play at the table given the auction and opening lead, my money is on YES it makes.

My line is

Spoiler

♦A, ♠AK, ruff a ♠. cross to ♣A, exit with the 4th ♠ pitching the ♥ to sever communication. Now West can win ♣K and 4th spade, but the rest of the tricks are N/S.

[PFormaini]

se12:

5♣ cold? really> Your line of play, please.



mbodell: Um - your line fails miserably. The instant you lead a diamond - West ruffs for the setting trick. Try again.

[se12sam]

PFormaini, on Jul 14 2009, 10:39 AM, said:

mbodell: Um - your line fails miserably. The instant you lead a diamond - West ruffs for the setting trick. Try again.

When does N/S intend to lead diamond? Mbodell got the line right, but you are adding a twist that does not feature in his line.

[PFormaini]

se

'Fraid not. When he leads a heart from dummy, Easy rises with the King and gives partner a diamond ruff.

Declarer loses a heart, a diamond ruff, and the King of Clubs.

Down 1.

[zheddh]

What are you talking about? Mbodell's line works perfectly well.

[PFormaini]

No, it doesn't, EAST-WENT win a heart, a diamond ruff, and the trump King.

SPELL THE LINE OUT PLAY BY PLAY..and I will point out the error. The line is not only 'cold', but doe not even attempt to overcome the main problem of the hand - EAST getting the lead and giving partner a diamond ruff.

[cherdanno]

[PFormaini]

I said SPELL THE LINE OUT TRICK BY TRICK (Modell's 'line' is unreadable to me).

And I will show you where it is flawed.

So lay the line out TRICK BY TRICK for me, like this:

TRICK 1: XXXXXXX
TRICK 2: XXXXXXX
TRICK 3: XXXXXXX

I anxiously await this 'line' - which will not work.

[zheddh]

PFormaini, on Jul 14 2009, 04:58 AM, said:

No, it doesn't, EAST-WENT win a heart, a diamond ruff, and the trump King.

SPELL THE LINE OUT PLAY BY PLAY..and I will point out the error. The line is not only 'cold', but doe not even attempt to overcome the main problem of the hand - EAST getting the lead and giving partner a diamond ruff.

ok, let me give it a shot.

Trick 1: Win in hand
Trick 2: Play Ace of spade. All follow
Trick 3: Play King of spade. All follow
Trick 4. Play a spade and ruff it in dummy, all follow
Trick 5. play small trump to Ace, west discards something

Trick 6 is important

Trick 6: play small spade, LHO plays jack, you PITCH your last heart, RHO discards something

Now, your LHO has AQxxx in hearts and Kx in clubs, whatever he does, he CANT get his partner on lead, because dummy will ruff the heart continuation.

EDIT: Maybe you posted the problem wrong. Maybe RHO has 4 spades instead of LHO?

[PFormaini]

zheddh, on Jul 14 2009, 05:08 AM, said:

PFormaini, on Jul 14 2009, 04:58 AM, said:

No, it doesn't, EAST-WENT win a heart, a diamond ruff, and the trump King.

SPELL THE LINE OUT PLAY BY PLAY..and I will point out the error. The line is not only 'cold', but doe not even attempt to overcome the main problem of the hand - EAST getting the lead and giving partner a diamond ruff.

ok, let me give it a shot.

Trick 1: Win in hand
Trick 2: Play Ace of spade. All follow
Trick 3: Play King of spade. All follow
Trick 4. Play a spade and ruff it in dummy, all follow
Trick 5. play small trump to Ace, east (not west) discards something

Trick 6 is important

Trick 6: play small spade, LHO plays jack, you PITCH your last heart, RHO discards something

Now, your LHO has AQxxx in hearts and Kx in clubs, whatever he does, he CANT get his partner on lead, because dummy will ruff the heart continuation.

EDIT: Maybe you posted the problem wrong. Maybe RHO has 4 spades instead of LHO?

You mean the old 'Cut Communiations" Play?

Sorry - will not work.

WEST wins the SPADE JACK (1 trick).

Dummy remains with 3 trumps. (One was led to the Ace and one ruffed a spade)

West leads the HEART ACE. Dummy must ruff. And is down to 2 trumps.

Declarer must now lead a club, trying to draw trumps. That reduces dummy to 1 trump as West WINS the KING...

West now leads another heart - and Dclarer is now DEAD - since he must RUFF THIS in dummy with the last trump.

WEST remains with a trump -a nd dummy has only DIAMONDS remaining.

Declarer must lead one - WEST ruffs it - DOWN ONE.

Care to try again?.

[mtvesuvius]

PFormaini, on Jul 14 2009, 05:06 AM, said:

I said SPELL THE LINE OUT TRICK BY TRICK (Modell's 'line' is unreadable to me).

LOL

[PFormaini]

Like I said - the line of play was not effective - whether spelled out or typed in hidden text (for reasons that are beyond me, since there was no 'SPOILER' involved. I asked for a solution in public, not in private.)



But it was a nice try, even though it was fruitless.

[ArtK78]

Unless I am missing something, the correct answer to "Is 5♣ makable?" is NO.

Modell's line is a nice try. In fact, at first glance, I thought it was the winning line. But PFormaini is right - declarer gets locked in dummy and is forced to play a second round of diamonds, which allows West to ruff for the third defensive trick.

I do not see a way out. Can anyone else?

[matmat]

PFormaini, on Jul 14 2009, 06:52 AM, said:

But it was a nice try, even though it was fruitless.

so was your thread. lol.

[IdiotVig]

PFormaini, on Jul 14 2009, 04:58 AM, said:

SPELL THE LINE OUT PLAY BY PLAY..and I will point out the error. The line is not only 'cold', but doe not even attempt to overcome the main problem of the hand - EAST getting the lead and giving partner a diamond ruff.

It seems inherently incongruous that someone who implies to have more knowledge than the collective requires a line-by-line explanation of all attempts, for the sole purpose of shooting them down.

[vuroth]

Here's the link to mbodell's line, and the problem the OP is suggesting.

Doubt that works, so here's the LINK

West leads Q♥

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FYI, to the OP, use the mouse to select mbodell's ENTIRE post, especialy the space between the symbols. Not immediately obvious if you've never seen it before.

[TimG]

You'd think the availability of free double dummy solvers would make these arguments much shorter.