[Phil]

Scoring: ??

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You play in 3♣ after a strong NT and a transfer sequence.

The opening lead is the ♥T (standard).

If you think there is nothing interesting about this hand, skip this thread. Otherwise, see if you can figure out why I posted it.

[Jlall]

mmk /skip

[jdonn]

Is it that we need to make 5 to beat the 140s at mps?

[Jlall]

jdonn, on Nov 10 2009, 06:42 PM, said:

Is it that we need to make 5 to beat the 140s at mps?

Well they are probably cold for game. And no one said this is MP anyways. And we might suffer club ruffs if we are in spades anyways.

If the solution is to duck the heart so that LHO has a guess what to do when he wins the CA, that risks them shifting to a spade and getting a ruff or whatever.

[jdonn]

Just taking a shot. My other thought was leading the first trump from a certain hand to try and avoid a diamond overruff, but that seemed like it wasn't it.

[gnasher]

If East is 3-4 in the blacks, I should lead the first club from dummy. When I discover the trump break I can cash spades throwing a diamond. That gives West 11 cards in the reds, so it seems an unlikely layout.

If East has a doubleton diamond, I'm at risk of an overruff. The only thing I can do about that is to lead the trumps through the ace. I can't lead trumps through anyone twice, so I can only cater for trumps 2-2, by starting with a low trump from the hand under the ace. A low trump from hand would mess things up when trumps are 4=0, but I could again cross to ♠K and lead a trump from dummy, catering for ♣Ax in East. This is also an unlikely layout, because people usually lead their 6-card suit.

Do these two possibilities add up to more than the risk that spades are 4-1? Probably not. I'd just lead a top trump from hand.

[dellache]

The obvious problem is to avoid a diamond overruf with the ♣10. As others already pointed out you cannot play clubs from dummy for lack of a secure entry play.

So you need to play clubs from hand.

What club ? Playing an honor allows you to cater for ATxx in the West hand. A mirage. East is marked with ♥KQ and a high Diamond honor, and at most 3 spades (no spade lead). Do we think that he would not balance with 10 cards in the reds ?

So now a lead of a small club from hand caters for the possibilty of West having the stiff Ace and 6 diamonds. One may object to East having AT in clubs and a doubleton diamond. This also looks impossible : West would lead a spade with a stiff and that means East passed 3C having 6 Hearts to the KQ and 12 HCP.

I would play ♥J (a routine play to conceal position of the King) take the ♥Q with the Ace and small club from hand.

[gnasher]

dellache, on Nov 11 2009, 11:28 AM, said:

East is marked with ♥KQ

♥10 was "standard". That means that it can be from 109, K109 or Q109.

[Phil]

Gnasher's comments about RHO being 3-4 in the black are interesting, but that would leave LHO with 11 red cards, yet failed to act over a strong NT.

At the time, I didn't give a lot of thought to this, but a few plays later I thought it made a difference.

At T1 I covered the heart. RHO covered with the King and I won.

I advanced the ♣J. On this layout the King is probably better. LHO won. Her original hand was: ♠xxx ♥QT98x ♦Axx ♣Ax. She cashes a heart, but can you blame her for not finding the ♦ switch? She actually played a 3rd heart (they had a signaling mixup obviously, and these weren't bad players by any means) but I wouldn't have blamed her for playing a spade. This would be the winning continuation if I held a hand like Qxx Ax KQJxx KJx.

If I don't cover the heart at T1, presumably LHO will later win the club and advance the ♥Q. If RHO wanted a spade switch, RHO can just let the heart hold, but if RHO can direct the defense, she can overtake the heart and shoot a diamond through. Covering the heart appears to take away this option for the defense.

Ducking the heart is interesting, but with trump control, LHO can now try the spade without cost, and play a diamond later on.

[dellache]

gnasher, on Nov 11 2009, 11:22 AM, said:

dellache, on Nov 11 2009, 11:28 AM, said:

East is marked with ♥KQ

♥10 was "standard". That means that it can be from 109, K109 or Q109.

I was tempted to say : "who would make such an attacking ♥HT9+ lead against a strong NT opener when having a safe lead in spades ?"

Now I see Phil's post.
Gee.

[Jlall]

Phil, on Nov 11 2009, 11:47 AM, said:

Her original hand was: ♠xxx ♥QT98x ♦Axx ♣Ax. She cashes a heart, but can you blame her for not finding the ♦ switch?

Since I'm sure her partner played a LOW club (possibly unreadable since we have the 2) and a LOW heart (not possibly unreadable) then yes I can definitely blame west.

[Phil]

Jlall, on Nov 11 2009, 01:46 PM, said:

Phil, on Nov 11 2009, 11:47 AM, said:

Her original hand was: ♠xxx ♥QT98x ♦Axx ♣Ax. She cashes a heart, but can you blame her for not finding the ♦ switch?

Since I'm sure her partner played a LOW club (possibly unreadable since we have the 2) and a LOW heart (not possibly unreadable) then yes I can definitely blame west.

RHO had ♣10-8. Her hearts were K7xx. I suppose suit preference should rule here on the heart.