BBO Discussion Forums: Suit Play - BBO Discussion Forums

Jump to content

Page 1 of 1
  • You cannot start a new topic
  • You cannot reply to this topic

Suit Play How to play this correctly

#1 User is offline   sceptic 

  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Group: Advanced Members
  • Posts: 2,343
  • Joined: 2004-January-03

Posted 2004-September-28, 06:04

Hi,

I wonder if you can help me here. The following hand I played today, my first instinct was to play A K first, then I tought I may as well look for a better line.

This is where my problem lies, I could not work out at the table how to play the spade suit for 6 tricks so can you help with the following questions and anything else of intrest that you see here.

here is the hand

(please note, my 2!S opening is prob not good in 2nd seat) but it is the play of the spade suit I am interested in


Scoring: IMP


West North East South

 -     Pass  2    Pass
 2NT   Pass  3    Pass
 4    Pass  Pass  Pass
 


I was playing from dummy at the time.

I decided to play K first.

Question

1/. which hand should I be playing this from

2/. were there any clues as to what to expect

3/. what is best line of safety play

I dont think you can make 6 with 4 cards as they stand (unless I was the defender) , but I would like to know best way to tackle this problem if the lay out was different
0

#2 User is offline   inquiry 

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Group: Admin
  • Posts: 14,566
  • Joined: 2003-February-13
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Amelia Island, FL
  • Interests:Bridge, what else?

Posted 2004-September-28, 07:31

You decided to play the Spade King first, . Lets handle your questions.

Quote

1/. which hand should I be playing this from

Dummy, but.... don't play a spade... I assume opening lead was queen of diamonds. So you win the ACE, thus your next play will be from dummy.

Quote

2/. were there any clues as to what to expect

There are always some clues, did the opponents bid? What did they lead? What did they signal? None of these clues will be all that helpful on this hand. North passed as dealer, so you can eliminate hads that he would open 2D, 3D, 2H on (all weak)... But the usual inference that he doesn't have, say 6 or 7 diamonds is not so good because you can see the DIAMOND AK in dummy and west lead the queen (and presumably has the jack), so with six or seven diamonds to the ten at most, north would probalby not preempt anyway.

But a useful clue here is the lead. What did north play? A high diamond, a low diamond. Is his diamond play count or attitude. It is useful to know tihs as you construct the hand. If he played teh diamond 8, it could show a matching honor (in ths case the ten), or it could show count (even number if standard carding).

Quote

3/. what is best line of safety play

The way to make 6 is on bad (but not horrible) defense. That play is to win teh diamond ACE, KING (pitch a club), and ruff a diamond. All follow. Now club to the ace, and ruff a club (all follow, north plays the club king... did south go out of his way to give the count in clubs? Did south hesitatie a little before ducking club jack?) A heart to the ace and lead another club to ruff... here north has a problem. Does he ruff? The best play is to ruff with the spade 8 or 9, a heart instanty fatal (you make 12). But likely he will discard his last diamond.

Now you have a clue. Norrth looks like a man with 4D, 2C, and unwillingness to pitch a heart.Does that begin to paint a picture. You ruff, now a heart to dummy. This is the stituation after you win the second heart is dummy.

Sometimes if you don't know how to play trumps, not playing them at all works out ok.


Good defense willl hold you to one overtrick. Here, when you lead the last club form dummy North must ruff with the 9 or 8. If he discards his heart queen. You ruff. Cash spade ace, and exit a heart. He ruffs but has to lead into dummy's KJ.

Quote

3/. what is best line of safety play

Wel, the line I just gave is not very safe. You have 5 sure spades, 2D, 1C, and 2H if nothing gets ruff. So the safest play, is spade king and a spade. Playing around in other suits have risk of winner getting ruffed.
--Ben--

#3 User is offline   the hog 

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Group: Advanced Members
  • Posts: 10,728
  • Joined: 2003-March-07
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Laos
  • Interests:Wagner and Bridge

Posted 2004-September-28, 08:52

I would not play S until late. On a D lead, AK of D pitching a C, A of C, C ruff, H to A, C ruff, H to K, D ruff, exit H.
"The King of Hearts a broadsword bears, the Queen of Hearts a rose." W. H. Auden.
0

#4 User is offline   Flame 

  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Group: Advanced Members
  • Posts: 2,085
  • Joined: 2004-March-26
  • Location:Israel

Posted 2004-September-28, 10:30

At first, This is not a suit play problem, forcusing on the spades is wrong.
You need to make 4sp, the best line is to ruff two hearts in dummy (unless they break 3-3), so you wont even have a choice about the the spades, you wont play them utill late (not even once), and later you will play K and A.
Now after you play 3 rounds of heart and see the break you can think about the spade suit, if its 3-1 you have no problem (you can afford to lose 1) you need to make sure you wont go down on 4-0 (and north have 4 spades), which will only happend if you play A of spade first, any other line makes.
0

#5 User is offline   Flame 

  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Group: Advanced Members
  • Posts: 2,085
  • Joined: 2004-March-26
  • Location:Israel

Posted 2004-September-28, 10:50

Another line to consider is dummy reversal, you have enough entries, but im not sure if its a good line, anyway even at dummy reversal i think you should play spade at some early point because you dont want the clubs to be ruffed by Qx or 9x of spades, actually playing dummy reversal might be the only way to go down here (if you play A spade first)
0

#6 User is offline   sceptic 

  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Group: Advanced Members
  • Posts: 2,343
  • Joined: 2004-January-03

Posted 2004-September-28, 11:17

I dont suppose you care to elaborate on dummy reversal please, I am not familiar with it?
0

#7 User is offline   inquiry 

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Group: Admin
  • Posts: 14,566
  • Joined: 2003-February-13
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Amelia Island, FL
  • Interests:Bridge, what else?

Posted 2004-September-28, 11:39

sceptic, on Sep 28 2004, 01:17 PM, said:

I dont suppose you care to elaborate on dummy reversal please, I am not familiar with it?

See the line I suggested.. this is a dummy reversal.

A dummy reversal is where you take all your ruffs in the long suited hand. If you look at the line I gave, you will win your 6 spade tricks, and lose a spade too...!!! (if west ruffs in with 8/9 as is correct, otherwise you win 7 spade tricks!!!)...

Straight forward.. Spade K, SJ to Q-Ace, Spade-Ten you win 5 spade tricks..

ruff 1D, and 3 clubs in your hand, that is four spade tricks already, the spade KJT will provide minimum of two more for six... and if north refused to ruff a club with 8 or 8, you actually score 7 spade tricks....

ben
--Ben--

#8 User is offline   Flame 

  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Group: Advanced Members
  • Posts: 2,085
  • Joined: 2004-March-26
  • Location:Israel

Posted 2004-September-28, 12:00

In general (without knowing about the spade break) you play to play 2 top spades, then AK diamond and d ruff, then A club club ruff, A heart club ruff, K heart club ruff. If spades are 2-2 or 3-1 this will give you 2 spades+ 2 hearts+2 diamonds+1 club+4 ruffs = 11 tricks.
0

Page 1 of 1
  • You cannot start a new topic
  • You cannot reply to this topic

1 User(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users