[inquiry]

Scoring: IMP

West North East YOU

 Pass  1♠    Pass  2♥
 Pass  3♠    Pass  3NT
 Pass  4♥    Pass  5♦
 Pass  6♥    Pass  Pass
 Pass  

Opening lead Diamond 3

---

Your partner has tricked you into not the best slam every bid (well he jump rebid, and then jumped to slam). Notice the auction and the opening lead when planning your play. The opening lead Diamond 3 was from a player just learning to lead 3/5th best and who doesn't have it in him to false card at trick one (good to know your opponents). I assume you throw a club from dummy and win your ACE as east plays the Diamond Queen. If (when) you play a second diamond, West plays the ♦2 and east the ♦4. (and should you ever play a third round of diamonds, West plays the ♦5 and east the ♦7...but if you ever play the diamond 9, west covers with the ten).

When this was played, two pairs went down two. One managed to go down only one. In effect telling you this might affect your line of play...so please try to explain why you play what ever way you play. I wonder if anyone can find the winning line based on some kind of defendable logic.

Ben

[xx1943]

Hi Ben


Hope I'm not totally blind in this one. I see only one chance:
I think I have to find ♥Q, ♥s 3:2 and spades 3:3. I play ♥ at second trick and hook the J. (To finesse the other way is impossible, becoze lack of entries). If that holds, back to ♥A. three rounds of spades hoping 3:3 and back to table with heart. 16% success

Please delete my hidden suggestion, if I'm totally wrong.

Sincerly

Al

[inquiry]

Hi Al,

You have some good ideas hidden in there. What is right is hard to say. This is a real world "found" hand, not a problem one. Seeing all four hands I know what works. The question is can it be found as the most logical line. You have some of it in your answer (so not totally wrong even if my solution is right).

Ben

[Gerben47]

Let's give it a try.

I need to find the QH and develop my spades. For entry purposes it must be with west.

I need only 4 spade tricks so I can afford 4-2 distribution as long as I am not overruffed. With 3-3 distribution there is no problem.

Win D.
AS, S ruff.
AH, Heart to the J.
Spade ruff with the 10.
KJ of D, H to dummy and claim 12.

Gerben

[bearmum]

inquiry, on Sep 23 2004, 09:12 PM, said:

Dealer: West Vul: None Scoring: IMP

♠ AKT652 ♥ KJ8 ♦   ♣ K987 ♠ 3 ♥ AT743 ♦ AKJ9 ♣ J42

West  North East  YOU  Pass  1♠    Pass  2♥  Pass  3♠    Pass  3NT  Pass  4♥    Pass  5♦  Pass  6♥    Pass  Pass  Pass   Opening lead Diamond 3

Your partner has tricked you into not the best slam every bid (well he jump rebid, and then jumped to slam). Notice the auction and the opening  lead when planning your play. The opening lead Diamond 3 was from a player just learning to lead 3/5th best and who doesn't have it in him to false card at trick one (good to know your opponents). I assume you throw a club from dummy and win your ACE as east plays the Diamond Queen.  If (when) you play a second diamond, West plays the ♦2 and east the ♦4. (and should you ever play a third round of diamonds, West plays the ♦3 and east the ♦7...but if you ever play the diamond 9, west covers with the ten).

When this was played, two pairs went down two. One managed to go down only one. In effect telling you this might affect your line of play...so please try to explain why you play what ever way you play. I wonder if anyone can find the winning line based on some kind of defendable logic.

Ben

Interesting Ben W led the 3♦ 3/5 lead and then plays 3♦ on third round of D

ALSO it's interesting that you said that W plays SMALL on 3rd round of D BUT plays the ten IF S leads 9 ♦ ---------- what happens if S leads 9♦ to third round of D? --- I might be barking up TOTALLY the wrong tree but you DID state FIRST that W plays the 3♦ [even thought he's led it ] on the third round

the reason I'm asking for clarification is I'm TRYING to reconstruct POSSIBLE E/W hands in order to solve the problem - I'm almost sure to get the best result I have to try to set up SPADES for club discards in S hand and think the answer to my question will help me do just that

[inquiry]

Ok.. he played the five on the third round.. I added the comment about covering the diamond nine at the last minute to stop the cash diamond AK and then win diamond 9 because you said both played low.. .I posted it at 4AM local time, and I haven't sleep well for about a week... That also explains the two three of diamonds.

[paulhar]

inquiry, on Sep 23 2004, 08:54 AM, said:

and I haven't sleep well for about a week... That also explains the two three of diamonds.

I find that I sleep better when I'm not playing in a team match

[paulhar]

Good clue about the bidding and lead. Why did West choose an aggressive diamond lead rather than a club which the auction seems to call for? (A trump lead is stupid even with small trumps unless West has the spades all bottled up.) If West had the guarded queen of clubs and queen of diamonds, wouldn’t West choose a club? Maybe West has the queen doubleton of clubs. Could be, but not that likely. How about small clubs? Seems logical to lead through dummy’s supposed king. What else is there? Maybe West has the ace of clubs. With the ace of clubs and the queen of hearts, the club ace lead would be fairly automatic. So West has the CA and East has the HQ. Based on that analysis, my hoped for 12 tricks (based on West’s four card diamond suit) are 5 hearts, 2 spades, the king of clubs, three diamonds and a diamond ruff. So, win trick 1, play heart to King and run the Jack of hearts. If hearts are 3-2 and the jack is not covered, SA, ruff a spade, ruff a diamond, ruff a spade, draw the last trump, cash the diamonds (or only one diamond, if the spades are good), lead a club toward the King. If the trumps are 4-1, I need East to be 3-4-4-2 or 2-4-4-3. If East covered, play all the diamonds, ruff a diamond, play S-AK, ruff a spade, out with a club. (Works even when East has the club ace!) If East didn’t cover, play S-A,K,ruff, then D ruff, then S ruff to set up suit if necessary, then C to K.

[BrianEDuran]

Hi

Spade to the ace, low spade ruff low, and low heart to the J.
low spade to the for another ruff. I think I might be able to protect 4-2 spade split if RHO has only 2. But now lets say LHO follows, I actually think it right to ruff with the ace of hearts, since the 4-2 is more likely then 3-3.

Now I play the T of hearts out squashing LHO 9 of hearts, which I assume didn't fall in the fist round.

3-3 split less then 50%.
Qxx opposite 9x vs. Qx opposite 9xx, maybe 50%.

Hope I'm close. I love squash plays.

Brian

[Flame]

Paul your inferences seems right although i wouldnt say you are even close to be sure about them.
Your line when west doesnt cover need spades to be 4-2, because if spades arent good, you cant take ur diamond and play club, because west will take the A of club and the 10 of diamond. you can make it if spades doesnt work, if you play heart to the 10, but maybe this gives you more problems when hearts are 4-1.
Anyway i think you are more or less right, but has a feeling you're going down hard , because east will have the A of club.

[luke warm]

why are we hiding answers? anyway,

spade to the ace, ruff a spade, ♥A, heart toward K,J... finesse J if necessary, ruff another spade, heart to the K

[Fluffy]

My inferenes, West lead 4th best, he led ot because was his longest suit, he can have the ace or not, but if he had it with the ♥Q he would probably lead it, since he didn´t you can expect ♥Q with west mor elikelly than with east.

Moreover, he didn´t lead a ♣, so he probably have 3 cards at most, he is favourite to hold 3343, mayeb with a 4 card major also.

Anyway I don´t see any line better than stablishing ♠ in dummy, you play ♠AK and ruff tird, or just cash ♠A, it doesn´t seem to matter.

Maybe try this: cash ♦K, to see the distrribution, play ♠AK and ruff a third, now cash ♥A, if ♥Q drops singleton in west you may still succeed with ♠3-3, althou it looks very hard to happen.

[cherdano]

I very much agree with Paul's inferences. But since his line has much lower a-priori odds (at least it seems to me -- didnt really check), I feel bad about relying on them. Especially against an opponent who "has just learned to lead 3/5th" and "never falsecards at trick one" (even against slams?).

I think against experts I would trust West to have ♣A and Q. Against this auction (with the strong side suit in dummy), an aggressive lead is called for, and even underleading or leading the ace from ♣Axxx (through the announced stopper) seems much more attractive than leading from ♦10xxx (into the announced stopper).

Arend

[inquiry]

Ok, I gave the hint about the diamond legtnh to help steer people into considering alternative lines of play besides playing for the club ACE on sides, and finding the heart Queen (win 5H, 3D, 1D ruff, 1C, 2S). This was the line everyone choose, both in slam and not. The club ACE was behind the King.

Scoring: IMP

---

I think that line is clearly wrong. Here, people seemed more willing to give up on finessee in two different suits amd play to set up spades. If all goes well, you will not need either to ruff a diamond, nor win a club trick. You can come to 12 trics via 5H, 3D, and with luck, 4S.

The play to hook twice (clubs and hearts) is roughly 25% (slightly less due to possible horrible trump splits, etc). The play in spades is better at roughly 31%... (slightly less, as no 7-2 or 8-1 diamonds can be allowed, in a hand with 3 trumps) Odds of 8-1 or 7-2 diamonds not even taking into account they didn't preempt in diamonds is very low indeed.

The correct play has been given already by Gerben47 (Lukewarm got it right, sort-of, but forgot to take his diamond winners, so will lsoe at least two clubs, and fluffy got it half right.. it does matter whether you take the top two spades or just take one high one) but let me repeat.

1) win diamond ACE
2) Cash heart ACE (you are going to need third round entry to dummy)
3) Spade ACE
4) ruff a spade
5) heart hook to dummy
6) ruff a spade
7) Cash diamond winners, throw two clubs
8) heart to dummy, give club at end

What is wrong with paulher's play? If RHO has Qxx you lack entries to dummy to establish spades after such a play. What is wrong with Brian's play? Well, it would fail to day when the heart Queen was doubleton.