[Hanoi5]

I reached 4♥ on these layout:

♠AT9
♥KJ8x
♦AKJxx
♣x

♠Q8xx
♥Q9xx
♦Txx
♣Kx

Bidding went:
1♣ Pa 3♣ X
Pa 3♥ Pa 4♥
All Pass

I received the ♠6 lead which I believed to be a doubleton. I did my best to find a way to make the contract but I sort of gave up for 1 spade, 1 heart, 1 ruff and 1 club meant 1 down. Anyway I played small and RHO won the ♠K and played ♣A (♣J from LHO) and another club, which I won in hand while throwing a diamond from dummy. I had the feeling that hearts were not gonna break well so I played a small heart to dummy's King and RHO's Ace. Back came the dreaded spade to LHO's ♠J and dummy's Ace. ♥J showed trumps to be 1-4 as I had envisioned and I cashed a high diamond, drew trumps and cashed spades to reach:

♠
♥
♦KJ
♣

♠
♥
♦Tx
♣

What would you have played? Did you count only the distribution to arrive to your conclusion or did you also count the points?

[Flameous]

So RHO is

Kxxx
ATxx
?Q?x
Axx?x?

I'd play for singleton diamond cause 3♣ with 7 card support is so lame. Might depend a bit on the opps though.

[mikeh]

Despite your fear that LHO had a doubleton spade, you know, by the critical time, that he didn't....he almost certainly has J76 So he has 9 minor suit cards. He may be 3=1=3=6 or 3=1=4=5. RHO is 3=4 in the majors and will be either 2=4 or 1=5 in the minors.

If he is 3=4=2=4, he won't have the diamond Queen, because that would give him Kxx A10xx Qx AQxx, which is a 1N opening bid.

If he has 3=4=1=5, he 'could' have begun life with the stiff diamond Queen, but you took care of that by cashing a diamond earlier..so he has no diamonds left, and thus no diamond Queen.

By the way, and without meaning in anyway to diminish your good play if you applied this thinking, maybe this belongs in the B/I (as an I not a B ) forum? It is really all about counting, leaving aside the misdirection about the spade suit.

PS You would also have an absolute count on spades by the time of the critical decision and unless LHO had 4 of them, the above remains unchanged...indeed, if he had a doubleton, rho still can't hold the diamond Q unless he opened 1♣ on Kxxx A10xx Qx AQx, which is unlikely. If he has 4, then rho may be 2=4=2=5, and be one of those who doesn't open 1N on that shape.... Kx A10xx Qx AQxxx....I'd have a lot of sympathy for a 1♣ bid on that hand. Still, even then, the odds massively favour the hook.