[Coelacanth]

Scoring: IMP

---

You reach 3NT after a transfer sequence with the opponents silent. (1NT-2D-2H-3NT)

South leads a small ♦. I won't tell you what I did at the table (I was declarer) but let's say you win the ♦ in your hand (North plays the 9) and play ♥A and another ♥. South wins the♥J and shifts to the ♣10.

Now what?

If you didn't win the ♦ and play hearts, what other line did you try?

[Apollo81]

The biggest inference that we can take from the ♣10 switch is that the hearts are 3-3. If they weren't breaking, South wouldn't risk leading away from the ♣KT, not knowing who holds the ♣J.

<changed previous rest-of-post to the following>

I would expect South to hold the ♦8 and North to hold the ♦T from what happened on trick 1. In this case South has led from J8xx, a terrible lead against NT IMO. It was probably his only 4-card suit, or maybe it's possible from the diamond spots that it was a 5 card suit.

So if he was 3343, with ♥KJx, he might have played the ♥K on the second round of that suit, forcing an entry into North's hand. If he did that, we might assume the hearts are 4-2 (North with 4) and finesse clubs out of desperation, which is what he would want if he doesn't hold the K. Therefore North is likely to hold 4 clubs and both round suit Kings, so I would go up with the ♣A and play a third heart.

This post has been edited by Apollo81: 2010-June-21, 14:47

[Coelacanth]

Those are some excellent inferences.

I don't think this particular South was up to the entry-creating play of the ♥K from KJx.

You are correct that South is 3343 and has led from ♦8xxx.

North does indeed have the ♣KJxx.