[inquiry]

After midnight local time I was on the losing team for three consecutive team games. Many hands could have swung each event, but here are three key ones, one from each match. Please answer the question posed for each.

First hand (you are south and DUMMY has the five card ♠ suit.....

Dealer: North Vul: EW Scoring: IMP

♠ T9873 ♥ AQJT ♦ Q ♣ 432 ♠ KQ42 ♥ 753 ♦ AJT9 ♣ AT

West North East South  -     Pass  Pass  1NT  Pass  Pass  Dbl!  Pass  2♣    Dbl   2♥    Pass  2♠    Pass  Pass  Dbl  Pass  Pass  Pass

1NT-X = Spades and 10+ points
2♣ = natural

Trick 1. ♠J to the ♠A
Trick 2. ♦2 - to ♦8-Q-A (you playing UDCA, so ♦8 looks like odd number
Trick 3. If you laydown the club ACE, do you expect, count or attitude from partner? Correct defense regardless of which is to take a top ♠ before contining ♣ (assuming attitude is "lead them again"

Secpond hand

Scoring: IMP


T1. DA D4 D9 S5

What is your line?

---

West North East South
 -     -     Pass  1♠
 2♦    Pass  Pass  2♥
 Pass  3NT   Pass  4♥
 Pass  6♠    Pass  Pass
 Pass  

Third hand

Scoring: IMP


T1. DA D4 D9 S5

What is your line?

---

West North East South
 -     -     Pass  1NT
 Pass  2♥!   Pass  2♠
 Pass  6♠    Pass  Pass
 Pass  

[Fluffy]

First:
I hate those problems where it seems I have nothing to do since nothing seems to matter.

I expect attitude, count if I led the ♣K.

Draw 1 more trump, and continue ♣ anyway (what else can I do!), that is the normal line so I supose I falied.

Second:

I didn´t look properly at the bidding and suggested a stupid line, sorry.

Third:

I think RHO is 4324, so I have to ruff 2 ♣ in dummy and then endplay him with a trump: ♣A, ♣ ruff, ♠Q pitching a ♦, ♦A, ♣ruff.

If it gets overruffed East may have 4♥ and be endplayed again, if he has 4♣ a trump endplays him, if he has 5♣ ♥K will jump on air.

Now I see it, this line will succed also with some 6-1 ♦ splits.

[pclayton]

1. A. Attitude (of course?). I'm having a real hard time reconstructing here. Looks right to cash one spade; then A♣, continue club. Can't give declarer an extra entry to hook hearts (I think he misplayed at T2) and it doesnt look right to lead a diamond back, although we might trade a heart trick for a trump this way. I don't know...

2. Is there any option to not play for 4-3 hearts? Well, lets start down that road.

2. A♥
3. ruff heart
4. ruff diamond (assuming RHO continues peter)
5. ruff heart (assuming LHO shows out - otherwise NP)
6. OK, so LHO looks to be ?-2-6-? and RHO is ?-5-2-? at this point. ruff another diamond. RHO will probably pitch a club here

7. ruff last heart with K♠.
8. ruff 3rd diamond in hand; RHO is under some pressure if he is 4-5-2-2 and H-H in clubs. I think he has to ruff this to escape the guard squeeze. Say he does. Now, spades and play the losing heart which should squeeze LHO in the minors on this trick. If trumps are 3-1; the losing trick squeeze always works.

3. More brutality! A low heart to the jack is an interesting play. You give up the techinically best way to play the suit without a loser, but you retain the vice (isn't this right) squeeze chances when RHO has the 10♥. I'll come back to this one.

[EarlPurple]

On hand 2 I play ♥A and ruff, then lead a top diamond from dummy throwing a club.

If LHO plays trumps to cut down my heart ruffs I win in hand, get my 2nd heart ruff, ruff a small diamond in hand so I can draw trumps, then cross back to ♣A to discard my 2 remaining hearts on the diamonds.

If LHO leads a club then I get 2 more heart ruffs. CA, C-ruff, H-ruff. C-ruff. H-ruff (with the king). If hearts were 4-3 I will just now lead a big diamond off dummy and East might ruff in but I can overruff and claim.

[PriorKnowledge]

#1. Count, since attitude is implied by Dbl of 2C. You need the count

#2: AH, ruff h. QD pitching a club. If opps return spade. take in hand, ruff heart, ruff small diam draw trump. AC to 2 good diam. You win 8s+1h+2d+1c=12. If opps return a club, try to cash 10D. If successful, you have 12 tricks, on a cross-ruff. 9s+1h+1d+1c. If opp ruffs 10D, you overruff, and ruff a heart and try to cash JD. If opps ruff JD, you overruff, ruff heart, club ruff, draw last 2 trumps with your last 2 trumps. If hearts are 43, you make on 9s+2h+1c.

#3: AC, club ruff. AD, ruff diam. If East follows, East has either a small heart, club, or diam left. Also possible that East's QJ10 diam may have dropped. If East has a minor card left, the KH drops. If a small heart, you lead last spade for end-play. If you believe East started with 4324, you have already blown it, when you pitched a club earlier.

[paulhar]

1. (I think it's attitude - it's very likely declarer has 5 clubs and partner has 3, but I'm not sure why the dummy didn't pass 2Cx)

I think I have to play pard for the ♣K. Cash ♠Q, win ♣A, club to pard, take the ruff, take the other high trump, lead a heart and wait for partner's ♥K.

Partner's double on ♣Q9x seems remote. I'm not sure I can do anything about it, and anyway if I cash the ace of clubs and pard had Q9x, I've blown it already. Underleading the ♣A might work sometimes, but it gives up on down 2 and it makes if declarer has only 2 hearts.

2. I like the early DQ throwing a club, but I must admit that my first line (which appears to be inferior) was to crossruff hearts and diamonds, then lead DQ throwing a club at the end. When lefty leads a club, I win, lead DJ coaxing a ruff, and my 5th heart is good.

3. It would be useful to know what kind of signals the opponents are using so I know how to strip East's hand before I throw him in to lead a heart from the king (or whether to drop it!) East is unlikely to signal to help me but West who has nothing probably thinks partner needs to know the count to defend.

I now know why people prefer the green club the the black one - the black one looks like a spade

[pclayton]

Grrrr....after thinking about #2 in the car this morning on the way to work, I think I want to modify my line. Playing the Q♦ off the dummy at some point may be necessary to pick up trumps if they are 4-0. It does nothing, however, to aid a 5-2 heart split, and may ruin the communication. So:

1. Ruff diamond
2. A♥
3. Ruff heart
4. Ruff diamond
5. Ruff heart....Now, if hearts are 4-3, we need to protect against a 4-0 trump break

6A. Q♦ (pitching club); although RHO ruffs, overruff and claim
7A1. If club return; play diamonds off dummy ("drawing trump")
7A2. If trump return; overtake if you want; return to A♣ and pitch hearts on J-T♦

5. If hearts are 5-2, running the Q♦ will not work, and we need trumps 2-2.
6B. Diamond ruff
7B. heart ruff with K♠
8B. Diamond ruff

The position is now:

♠ ----
♥ ----
♦ Q
♣ ATxx

♠ AQ
♥ x
♦ ----
♣ xx

9B. A♠ (pitching club)
10B. Q♠ (pitching club)
11B. Now exit the heart; LHO (hopefully) will squeezed on this trick out of the K♦ or the (presumed) K-Q of ♣'s.

[Rebound]

Regarding hand #2 only, I have been wondering what happens if you pitch a club on the opening lead?

[pclayton]

Rebound, on Jul 26 2004, 06:07 PM, said:

Regarding hand #2 only, I have been wondering what happens if you pitch a club on the opening lead?

Nothing good can come out of pitching at T1. The diamonds are now dead; they can attack clubs as the squeeze entry, or they can kill the 5th heart with a trump lead.

[inquiry]

Now for the rest of the story....

First hand was just a question to see what people thought. My partner happened to consider the club 2 as "count". Rather count or attitidue, correct is cash a top trump before leading a club. Turns out, it doesn't matter, it is already too late, a trump or a club they still make. The opening lead was not optimal. I rhink it should be attitude. The hand was...

Scoring: IMP

West North East South

 Pass  Pass  1NT   Pass
 Pass  Dbl!  Pass  2♣
 Dbl   2♥    Pass  2♠
 Pass  Pass  Dbl   Pass
 Pass  Pass  

---

The seond hand looks deceptionally easy (well, it probably is at any normal time of day).. .it was

Scoring: IMP

West North East South

 Pass  Pass  1NT   Pass
 Pass  Dbl!  Pass  2♣
 Dbl   2♥    Pass  2♠
 Pass  Pass  Dbl   Pass
 Pass  Pass  

---

A trump lead will set you at trick one. But they lead the ♦A. Having escaped the trump lead, you must avoid the evil temptation of crossing to dummy in trumps to lead a high ♦ for a loser on loser play. They will win the ♦ and return a turmp. Now, 2♦, 1♣, 1♥, 1♥ ruff, and 6 trumps is only 11 tricks. Instead, you must play to set up your fifth heart. This gives you 0♦, 1♣, 2♥, 3♥ruff, and 6 trumps for 12 tricks. Alternatively, and better, you can start ♥A, ruff a ♥ and pitch ♣ loser on top ♦. Cross ruff requres 2-2 trumps and 4-3 ♥, second line gets you there with more spead out values. Kudos to Earlpurple and pclayton for finding the right line.

If you pitch a club at trick one, you go down when they shift to a trump.

Board 3..

Scoring: IMP

West North East South

 Pass  Pass  1NT   Pass
 Pass  Dbl!  Pass  2♣
 Dbl   2♥    Pass  2♠
 Pass  Pass  Dbl   Pass
 Pass  Pass  

---

After the first six tricks, West is know to hold the ♣K, the ♥K... The position is (I would not have played it this way myself, but there you go.. I was declearer on none of these.....

Scoring: IMP

West North East South

 Pass  Pass  1NT   Pass
 Pass  Dbl!  Pass  2♣[/font]
 Dbl   2♥    Pass  2♠
 Pass  Pass  Dbl   Pass
 Pass  Pass  

---

At this point you can play WEST for the 4-3-2-4 hand. Or 4-3-3-2 as long as he has the ♣J as well. Play ♦A, and ♦ ruff. If he overruffs, he will obviusly exit a club, win in dummy, ruff last ♦ and lead last trump for squeeze. IF he is so rude as to not over trufmp. Play ♣A, ♣ruff and endplay WEST with a trump for force ♥ lead away from king.

For the record, I lost first match becuase of board one,,,
I also lost the second match because of this going down. I was dummy,
And I won the thrid match, because my opponent went down on the third hand.

Everyone was sleepy as this was fairly good competition.

Ben