[Walddk]

Scoring: IMP

S: 4S
Lead: D3

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This was a most interesting deal in the final and playoff match of the European Champions' Cup over the weekend. After an uncontested auction you (South) have arrived in a shaky 4♠ contract.

West leads the 3 of diamonds.

Over to you. Do you want to declare, or do you want to switch seats and defend? It is a tough one, even with all cards in view. Hidden text welcomed if you prefer.

Roland

[MattieShoe]

I'd rather play it... At worst it goes down 1 and at best it makes. +620/-100 more attractive than +100/-620.

Hidden:

Spoiler

I don't see how E/W could prevent S from running hearts, sluffing loser on winning heart... Overtake South's last heart with A/K and sluff remaining loser on good hearts, yes? Loses 2 spades and one diamond/club.

[Cyberyeti]

I think I'll play. Hidden text follows.

Spoiler

Duck the diamond lead.

E can play a club or a diamond next (others are much easier).

if he plays a diamond, I'll lead a spade ducking if he plays the king, playing A and another if he doesn't. Now I'll be able to play the ace of spades if I haven't already and 4 rounds of hearts ditching a club and a diamond and all the defence makes are two spades and a diamond.

if he plays either spade or heart, basically just play ace and another trump.

if he plays a club, win the A, 3 rounds of H ditching a club and ace and another trump will allow me to enter dummy with the ace of diamonds and play 4 rounds of hearts.

[HeavyDluxe]

Cyberyeti said: (hidden--->)

Spoiler

if he plays a diamond, I'll lead a spade ducking if he plays the king, playing A and another if he doesn't. Now I'll be able to play the ace of spades if I haven't already and 4 rounds of hearts ditching a club and a diamond and all the defence makes are two spades and a diamond.

But I ask: Aren't you still down though? (hidden-->)

Spoiler

You win the ♦ return and play a trump off dummy. East plays low, you duck, and West wins the ♠T. If West tables another ♦, you lose 2 diamonds and two trumps.

[HeavyDluxe]

I think I see it now... but I remain amazed that people can see stuff like this ATB.

I think -->

Spoiler

I'm ducking a ♦, winning whatever return comes, and then playing to 'throw in' E with his ♠K

FWIW, without pouring over this for the last hour I'd be down at the table.

[vuroth]

HeavyDluxe, on Oct 19 2009, 10:50 AM, said:

But I ask:  Aren't you still down though?  (hidden-->)

Spoiler

You win the ♦ return and play a trump off dummy.  East plays low, you duck, and West wins the ♠T.  If West tables another ♦, you lose 2 diamonds and two trumps.

I think the point

Spoiler

is that if east returns diamonds, now he can't lead diamonds, so I'm happy to put him back in. If east ducks the first trump, I'll play the ace, and return a trump, putting him back on lead. Neither lead from there hurts me.

Yeti: EDIT - sorry you're right. I forgot my plan on that line.

I was defend for a long time, but I think double dummy I can always see a way for declarer to bring it home.

[shyams]

I choose to declare this one.

Win the first diamond. Then (hidden)

Spoiler

play off HQ, HK, HA (discard D from hand) and play a 4th H.

I am not sure of all lines after this continuation but it wins if:

Spoiler

1. East refuses to ruff. Then declarer makes easily (discard last diamond as west ruffs) -- 1 ruff + 1C + 1S are the only 3 losers
2. East ruffs with K. overruff with A and lead S7. The SJ is an entry to dummy for discarding club loser on the 5th H (loses 2S + 1D)

I am not sure of the third continuation where East chooses to

Spoiler

ruff with S6

(?) but I think this one wins as well for declarer.

[Cyberyeti]

shyams, on Oct 19 2009, 12:00 PM, said:

I choose to declare this one.

Win the first diamond. Then (hidden)

Spoiler

play off HQ, HK, HA (discard D from hand) and play a 4th H. 

I am not sure of all lines after this continuation but it wins if:

Spoiler

1. East refuses to ruff. Then declarer makes easily (discard last diamond as west ruffs) -- 1 ruff + 1C + 1S are the only 3 losers
2. East ruffs with K. overruff with A and lead S7. The SJ is an entry to dummy for discarding club loser on the 5th H (loses 2S + 1D)

I am not sure of the third continuation where East chooses to

Spoiler

ruff with S6

(?) but I think this one wins as well for declarer.

I didn't think it did win in the 3rd case as you can never get back to the hearts which is why I played the line I did.

[HeavyDluxe]

vuroth, on Oct 19 2009, 11:52 AM, said:

I think the point is that [insert a lot of hidden stuff]...

Yep... I followed that. My point was just that ducking your first ♠ off dummy when E plays low doesn't help.

Neat little hand, eh? Thanks, Roland. My work day has been far more enjoyable and far less productive than usual.

[jdaming]

Call me a scardy cat, but I would defend (I think this is always going down and I don't expect all of the field to be there):

Spoiler

Best play for declarer seems to be duck or win A♦ doesn't really matter as I can't really see any reason for a switch. When you do take it you play Q♥ overtake the J and a 3rd winning ♥ sluffing a ♦. Now really your best chance seems to be playing a 4th♥ planning to pitch a ♣. This is really the main defensive problem and I am not sure I would do this but it takes E ruffing with his 6 to stop you.

I don't see how ducking a ♦ and throwing E in will help. If he still has a ♠ left he can safely exit 1 high club honor. If you take your A right off and then low towards the J you have lost K♠, 1♦, and later the Q♠ and a ♣.

[jdaming]

I don't see how declarer makes if E ruffs with the ♠6 as you cannot avoid losers 1♦, 2 natural ♠ and the ♠ruff.

Ways of playing this:
1)small towards K and A and west gets 2 tricks when his Q smothers the J.
2) 9 (or small) towards the J as long as west plays low K wins and either Q or T wins when it smothers the J.

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[Cyberyeti]

jdaming, on Oct 19 2009, 12:19 PM, said:

Call me a scardy cat, but I would defend (I think this is always going down and I don't expect all of the field to be there):

Spoiler

Best play for declarer seems to be duck or win A♦ doesn't really matter as I can't really see any reason for a switch.  When you do take it you play Q♥ overtake the J and a 3rd winning ♥ sluffing a ♦.  Now really your best chance seems to be playing a 4th♥ planning to pitch a ♣.  This is really the main defensive problem and I am not sure I would do this but it takes E ruffing with his 6 to stop you.

I don't see how ducking a ♦ and throwing E in will help.  If he still has a ♠ left he can safely exit 1 high club honor.  If you take your A right off and then low towards the J you have lost K♠, 1♦, and later the Q♠ and a ♣.

Then you miss the entire point. Hidden follows.

Spoiler

The reason for ducking the diamond and then throwing east in with the K♠ is precisely to prevent the ruff with the low trump, meaning that the 4th heart is ruffed with his partner's master trump as declarer's second loser disappears.

eg

1. ♦39Q4 0-1
2. ♦86JA 1-1
3. ♠26A5 2-1
4. ♠310JK 2-2
5. ♣KA73 3-2
6. ♥Q432 4-2
7. ♥J5K8 5-2
8. ♥ A9♣26 6-2

Now when you pitch your diamond on the 4th heart, W can only ruff with the master trump leaving you 4 trump winners.

If the K♠ is played at trick 3, allow it to hold, win the return, cash the A♠ and continue the line above.

It's not an endplay, it's an avoidance play to prevent W who has the winning diamond getting the lead while it cashes, and preserving access to the table to allow you to use the 4th heart.

[vuroth]

jdaming, on Oct 19 2009, 12:19 PM, said:

I don't see how

Spoiler

ducking a ♦ and throwing E in will help. If he still has a ♠ left he can safely exit 1 high club honor. If you take your A right off and then low towards the J you have lost K♠, 1♦, and later the Q♠ and a ♣.

Spoiler

Short answer - On the club exit - play 3 rounds of hearts throwing a club immediately. Now that club loser went away, and you're only losing 1 diamond and 2 spades.

Long answer - Win the A, but then 3 hearts throwing a club. Now, take 2 rounds of spades - A and then concede a spade.

I've now lost 2 tricks - diamond and spade, and will lose the boss spade. I still have control of diamonds, I still have control of clubs (I'm out in hand). Whoever wins the second round of trumps will have to return a minor suit. The ace of diamonds can be used to reenter dummy to throw the third diamond from hand on the 5th heart.

Down this line you take 1 club, 1 diamond, 3 hearts and 5 trump, or 1 club, 1 diamond 4 hearts and 4 trump, depending on how the defense plays it.

[jdaming]

I now see your point I am not sure how you know ♦ are 5-2 but I suppose declarer is limited on options.

[jdaming]

BTW cyberyeti's answer will work where as vuroths will not as even pitching the ♣ doesn't do the trick it is pitching the club after you have "pulled" trump as what is preventing them from getting in and taking 2 ♦'s?

[Cyberyeti]

jdaming, on Oct 19 2009, 12:45 PM, said:

I now see your point I am not sure how you know ♦ are 5-2 but I suppose declarer is limited on options.

I know that because I was presented with it as a double dummy problem

It's not a totally stupid line, but if ♦ are 4-3 it's a pretty tricky contract to make.

My line requires K-any doubleton or Q10 or KQ-any triple with E alongside the 2 diamonds and the hearts either 3-3 or 4 with the long trump.

[MattieShoe]

HeavyDluxe, on Oct 19 2009, 11:39 AM, said:

I think I see it now... but I remain amazed that people can see stuff like this ATB.

I probably would have gone down at the table too, because people get all bent out of shape when you trance out in games for fun.

[Walddk]

The winning line, as some rightly pointed out, is to duck at trick 1. If East continues diamonds, win the ace in the dummy and advance ♠J. East is now caught.

If he covers, you let him hold the trick, and if he follows small, you rise with the ace and play another spade to put East on lead. Later you can play four rounds of hearts and pitch your losing diamond and club.

The trick is to keep West off lead. Not sure many would have found the line at the table, but no declarer was tested. In the final, Fulvio Fantoni got a club lead, and the same happened in the playoff match against Denmark's Jacob Røn. That gave the declarers the tempo to cash ♠A and play another. Too late for a diamond switch.

Italy gained 13 IMPs against Germany (3NT down one in the other room), and the same 13 IMPs went to Denmark vs. Sweden when the Swedes decided to play 4♥ at the other table. Also one down.

The reason I gave you this hand, although a diamond was not led at either table, is that some commentators claimed that 4♠ is a sure one off on a diamond lead. I don't blame them. It just goes to show how difficult it is to analyse some hands instantly.

Roland