[han]

After a natural auction you find yourself in 6D with the following hands:

---

West leads the heart queen, plan the play. If you continue with 3 rounds of clubs, both opponents will follow.

[Fluffy]

Sounds like cross ruff at its best.

My first reaction is to cash ♣AK and ruff a club with ♦8, before cashing ♥K to protect against RHO having ♦9x(x) ♣Q10xxx. But this line ends up with having to score spade ruffs in dummy with ♦63.
We need tu push for trump tricks 7 times (one fo them we will be overruffed with ♦A). And the best cards to do this are KJ84 in south and Q10x in north. Using ♦4 and north's X on third rounds of ♠-♣. We must save ♦8 for 4th/5th round of clubs.
We can also combine this with ♣Qxx falling in 3. So at first don't cash ♥K

Start with ♣AKx ruffing with ♦4, if ♣Q didn't fall and we survive, cash ♠AK discarding hearts and ruff a spade with low diamond in dummy, 3 and 6 look almost the same to me althou one must be better. Lets say I use ♦3.
Next cash ♥K and play a club from dummy. Hopefully East discards and we are home, otherwise ruff high first and lead a spade hoping to be able to ruff low in dummy for free. If we are not able to use ♦6 for free we will need ♦9 onside on the next club we ruff.

[gnasher]

I prefer Han's intermediate/advanced problems.

[wclass___]

I don't think ruffing with low or 8 later matters that much, but there are quite a lot of 2 - 5 you can bring home... so i actually think ♣A-♣K - ♣ ruffed high is best start.

So we know ♣ break.

Another critical hand is: LHO with 5♥ and RHO with the ♦A - there are some chances if you don't play ♥A. (Manage to ruff a ♣, take away trumps and score last ♣.) (not that easy - not worth considering IMO)

So... at trick 5 i intend to play ♥ to A (You can probably cash ♠ winners too - don't see how it matters a lot) and ruff ♥ and see how they break:
if 4-2 i would cash spades and try to ruff another ♥

[JLOGIC]

Paging Rainer

[SteveMoe]

How about
Win ♥Ace
♣A then ruff a ♣
♠ AK, pitching ♥s.
♥K
♣ ruff
♥ ruff
♣ ruff high
♠ruff
♣ruff
♠

[nige1]

Han writes "After a natural auction you find yourself in 6D with the following hands: West leads the heart queen, plan the play. If you continue with 3 rounds of clubs, both opponents will follow."



IMO
♥K, ♣AK (discarding ♥), ruff a ♣, ♦K (ducked), ♠AK (discarding ♥), ♥A, ruff a ♣ (high if RHO follows). ♦s (draw trumps), cash good ♣.

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[gnasher]

SteveMoe, on 2012-June-15, 20:03, said:

Win ♥Ace
♣A then ruff a ♣
♠ AK, pitching ♥s.
♥K
♣ ruff
♥ ruff
...

You seem to be going down when hearts are 4=2, because you get overruffed at trick 6.

[Zelandakh]

I think I would play it as

♥K
♣K
♣A discarding ♥
♣ ruffed with ♦8
♠K discarding ♥
♠A discarding ♥
♥A
♣ ruffed with ♦K

but I hesitate to even post since it is clearly not right. Really just bumping it to see what han thinks the best line is and what the hands actually were.

[gszes]

if trumps are 41 to the A the defender holding the 4 trumps will get a second trump trick almost
100% of the time by ducking twice or make any ruffs impossible. thus we are pretty much forced
to assume trumps are 32.

the crossruff line creates too many chances of 2 trump losers there are 2 much more
straightforward lops available.


ONE


trick 1 heart A
trick 2 dia to the K (this is a tough duck for lho since p having the dia J is sufficient to set this but assuming it is ducked)
trick 3 club to A
trick 4 ruff a club
trick 5 heart to K
trick 6 ruff a club
trick 7 spade A pitch heart
trick 8 spade K pitch heart
trick 9 dia J

whomever wins the dia A must be able to return the 4th club and their p has to have the last trump else we are home*

this lop works whenever trumps are 32 and clubs 43* not exactly a great slam. It also gives lho a chance to go wrong
at trick 2 by taking the trump A.



TWO

trick 1 heart A
trick 2 dia toward K (same reason as option 1) again assuming dia A is ducked
trick 3 club finesse*
trick 4 ruff club
trick 5 spade A pitch heart
trick 6 spade K pitch heart
trick 7 dia toward T and hand is over

This is similar to line ONE works whenever trumps 32 and clubs 43 no exceptions but club finesse has to work.
*Who wants to go down at trick 3 on a finesse????