[inquiry]

Scoring: IMP

West North East South

 -     -     -     1♠
 Dbl   4♦!   Pass  4♠
 Pass  5♠    Pass  Pass
 Pass  

---

T1. HK S2 H3 H4
T2. DA D2 H6 D9
T3. DK D4 H7 D7
T4. S8 S4 S3 H5

Four diamonds was a fit jump, showig spades and diamonds. At trick four, whoops.. 4-0 trump split. Plan your play.

[paulhar]

This one seemed harder than 'nearly hopeless!'

I think I have to hope that West is 0-5-4-4 without the ten of clubs.

I lead the CK off the board. If a club or a heart comes back, I eventually or immediately ruff a heart and lead a trump. East must split, but I have him outnumbered and with the C10 falling, can just force out his last trump.

If West returns DQ, I have to use the diamonds to pull trump. Ruff it (I guess with the 10 is better technique, although it's hard for me to see that it matters), cash a club (if LHO didn't duck the first one), ruff the heart, and lead diamonds, throwing clubs. If RHO ruffs high, I overruff, and trump a club with the nine, intending to lead more diamonds.

Other plans seem not to work. Leading diamonds early lets East pitch clubs and get a club ruff in some scenarios. Let's try D ruff, run C8, CK to LHO's A. LHO leads a heart and I don't think you can pick up the trumps anymore (Diamonds aren't good yet.)

Leading another trump - East splits and it seemed to me that on most lines now East could either get a club ruff or effectively tap you with a heart after West ducks a club.

[inquiry]

This one is virtual double dummy now. From the title, you might have guessed teh play involved... instead of getting engaged.. you could always just elope. Indeed the play here is to elope tith your trump tricks.

When the [sp[8 holds in dummy, continue iwth a ♦ ruff (LHO shows out).. now we knw.. [sp]544 on table. Ruff ♥ in dummy, EAST folows, ruff another ♦ (settint up long ♦, but now RHO has more trumps than you, you are down to AJ of trumps. Exit small club to dummy, LHO has to jump up ACE. If LHO contune herat you will get to score two trump tricks. IF he leads a club, win in dummy and lead good diamond. If RHO ruff low, overruff and cash ♣Q... you all, you score 2D. 2Hrruf, 2Club and 5 trumps. IF RHO ruff high, overruff. with ace, ruff the good club QUEEN in dummy, and lead a ♦ to win your ♠J by elopment (in chess I guess this en passant)....

Ben

[paulhar]

I tried this line but rejected it. I was afraid that RHO would discard clubs on both of my diamond leads, and then when LHO won the club Ace he would be able to give his partner a club ruff with the small trump.

[Trpltrbl]

I think I throw a ♥ and a ♣ on the 2 high ♦.
Gives me better overall chances, I think.

Mike