[inquiry]

( 2 ♥ ) - 2 ♠ - (Pass) - 3 ♥
(Pass) - 3 ♠ - (Pass) - 6 ♠
All pass

Opening lead ♣4 (low from odd, 4th best from even)

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[inquiry]

So far 3 votes, averaging 1.5. Perhaps the thought is play low on club lead and later hook a ♣ to find a parking place for the ♦ loser.

Maybe we should reconsider the bidding for a minute. East opened 2♥ and his partner lead a ♣ away from presumably the king or the queen. What kind of heart holding would he have to have to prefer such a ♣ lead as opposed to a heart. If you answer that question correctly, perhaps this will become somewhat of a more difficult hand to play correctly.

[akhare]

Hmm...is RHO conservative enough to bid only 2♥ NV. vs. V with 7♥222? Anyway, if you assume it's the case, small ♣ is fatal, ergo:

A♣, draw trumps, then duck ♣ into RHO's presumed stiff honour. Win presumed ♥ return, now simple minor suited squeeze against LHO, targeting a three card ending where LHO has to discard in the following situation:

-
-
♦KX
♣K

[jdonn]

akhare, on Feb 8 2010, 02:12 PM, said:

Hmm...is RHO conservative enough to bid only 2♥ NV. vs. V with 7♥222? Anyway, if you assume it's the case, small ♣ is fatal, ergo:

A♣, draw trumps, then duck ♣ into RHO's presumed stiff honour. Win presumed ♥ return, now simple minor suited squeeze against LHO, targeting a three card ending where LHO has to discard in the following situation:

-
-
♦KX
♣K

I don't understand how that does any better than ducking the club, and it loses if LHO made a tricky lead of low from the KQ (which I have seen before). (Against that it gains against KQ doubleton with RHO but that is much too unlikely to be very concerned with.) If there is some trick to this hand that is better than ducking the club and playing for finesses then I don't see it.

Edit: Oh lol heart ruff. Then I like your answer!

[inquiry]

As both posters now note, ducking the first club sets you up for a very quick heart ruff and down. It just doesn't seem likely that in light of the weak two opening bid, WEST would underlead club honors if holding a singleton heart (heart lead would be down one at once if his partner had either major suit ACE). Thus the full hands would have to be something like the ones constructed by the earleir posters (east with doubleton club honor and no "diamond stopper" (could be three to 9 or any doubleton without the king). Here is the actual hand

Win club ACE, pull trumps, if necessary pitch a diamond on fourth round to get them all. Cross to heart ACE, take HEART HOOK. Now, careful, do not cash last heart (you will need that as entry to your hand if dummy is thrown in with diamond). Exit a club.

RHO wins, exits a red card, cross to your hand if it was a diamond to the queen.. you will be at a position similar to this (four rounds of spades already played, one diamond discarded.

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Win club ACE, pull trumps, if necessary pitch a diamond on fourth round to get them all. Cross to heart ACE, take HEART HOOK. Now, careful, do not cash last heart (you will need that as entry to your hand if dummy is thrown in with diamond). Exit a club.

RHO wins, exits a red card, cross to your hand if it was a diamond to the queen.. you will be at a position similar to this (four rounds of spades already played, one diamond discarded.

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This one has been voted on by 6 people with an average of 2.5. While I think the squeeze is fairly easy, this hand has a couple of difficult points. First not to duck the first trick due to the threatened heart ruff, second, not cashing king of hearts as you will need that as an entry for the squeeze after you duck a club, and then execute the simple squeeze. I would have thought this was harder than 2.5, but simple squeezes certainly are within the area of 2.5 or 3.0 so maybe this isn't that far off.