[inquiry]

Scoring: IMP

West North East South

   -       -       -       1♦
 Pass  1♠    2♣    2♦
 Pass  4♦    Pass  5♦
 Pass  6♦    Pass  Pass
 Pass  

---

Opening lead King of clubs. Looks easy. Anything to worry about? Plan your play.

[jillybean]

Hi,

I think the only way this contract goes down is if trump are 3/0.

1. Discard ♥, take with ♣Ace
2 Play ♦Queen, if west plays King cover with Ace otherwise duck.

jillybean

[inquiry]

jillybean2, on Sep 27 2004, 01:27 PM, said:

Hi,

I think the only way this contract goes down is if trump are 3/0.

1. Discard ♥, take with ♣Ace
2 Play ♦Queen, if west plays King cover with Ace otherwise duck.

jillybean

Hi!!

Yes, i think you are right. The only way to go down is if diamonds are 3-0. But let me ask you, what happens when you lead the queen of diamonds, if instead of playing the diamond king, the next hand discards a club?

You diagnosed the problem (threat) on the hand... so now let's work on the solution a little bit more.

Ben

[jillybean]

Hi,
ok leading the Q only works if ♦ are 2/1
I'll have to think more, leading ♦Q is wrong against 3/0 split.

1. Discard ♥, take Ace♣
2. Play low ♦. cover west or if west is out play Ace♦
(if east has KJx♦ she will play 5♦)
3. Play low to queen♦
If east plays K♦ all other suits are safe, pull last ♦.

Howzatt?

[inquiry]

jillybean2, on Sep 27 2004, 01:39 PM, said:

Hi,
ok leading the Q only works if ♦ are 2/1
I'll have to think more, leading ♦Q is wrong against 3/0 split.

1. Discard ♥, take Ace♣
2. Play low ♦. cover west or if west is out play Ace♦
(if east has KJx♦ she will play 5♦)
3. Play low to queen♦
If east plays K♦ all other suits are safe, pull last ♦.

Howzatt?

You got it!!!!!! very good.

Now if you buy some books, they will explain this to you as a "SAFETY PLAY". You are protecting against a 3-0 split in either hand. Reading it in a book is one thing, but working it out, like you did... that is something else. Now you can apply what you learned on this hand to other situations. Very well done. Several people did as you did, and led out the diamond queen. Turns out, diamonds were 2/1 and anything works. They scored their slam and moved on without knowing they had misplayed.

Ben

[EricK]

inquiry, on Sep 27 2004, 07:43 PM, said:

jillybean2, on Sep 27 2004, 01:39 PM, said:

Hi,
ok leading the Q only works if ♦ are 2/1
I'll have to think more, leading ♦Q is wrong against 3/0 split.

1. Discard ♥, take Ace♣
2. Play low ♦. cover west or if west is out play Ace♦
(if east has KJx♦ she will play 5♦)
3. Play low to queen♦
If east plays K♦ all other suits are safe, pull last ♦.

Howzatt?

You got it!!!!!! very good.

Now if you buy some books, they will explain this to you as a "SAFETY PLAY". You are protecting against a 3-0 split in either hand. Reading it in a book is one thing, but working it out, like you did... that is something else. Now you can apply what you learned on this hand to other situations. Very well done. Several people did as you did, and led out the diamond queen. Turns out, diamonds were 2/1 and anything works. They scored their slam and moved on without knowing they had misplayed.

Ben

This raises a very interesting point which applies to beginners, intermediates, advanced and even experts.

How can one learn from one's mistakes if it is not always clear when one has made a mistake?

Looking at the results can sometimes give you a clue, but there are certainly hands where the technically correct play loses, but the "beginner" play happens to work. Also, you may have got a better or worse defense than at other tables so your results may not be strictly comparable.

For example, I used to play F2F with a guy who was always looking at the results on the traveller then saying things like "You misplayed it!" because I had made one fewer trick than a lot of other tables. Sometimes I would have to point out that they had taken their tricks right at the start before I had even got in, so I didn't have much of a chance to demonstrate my playing ability!

Eric

[inquiry]

Eric is absolutely correct. I go over all the hands I play on line (great to have the hand in LIN format) to see if I missed soemthing. A inference from the bidding or carding, or from a line of play choosen or not choosen. I know most of the card manipulation skills, but believe it or not I play very rarely. For 10 years I didn't play at all... earning money and all that stuff....

But I studied during those 10 years... I guess what a beginner/intermediate/advanced palyer really needs is a person to go over the hands afterwards with them, to show them what they did "wrong" and why, and how htey could have found the right line (and why). With electronic records, someone could go over your hands and send you the file. Or some pro could go over the hands from BIL tourneys and make the results availabe for a nominamal fee (even charge for the touney an the hand analysis later free)... This woulld hep the beginners and intermediates I think.

Ben