[akhare]

IMPs vs. expert opponents, you land in 6♠ by South and receive a ♣7 lead.

---

You win A♣ and draw two rounds of trump, with both opps following. Both opponents follow to AK of ♦s with small spots, but LHO shows out on the third round.

1) Do you agree with the play so far? If not, what line would you pursue?
2) How would you proceed from here?

[twoshy]

Line A:

1. ♣A
2. ♥A
3. ♥2
4. ♦A
5. ♣K
6. ♥3 ruffed high (if they break, cash three spades ending in table, then run hearts if spades went 4-1)

If the ♥K is still out...

7. ♦2
8. ♥8 ruffed high
9. ♠J to Q
10. ♠T
Hearts.

This makes if hearts are 4-2 (king long) and spades 3-2 or if hearts are 3-3 or 4-2 (king short) with spades 4-1, and nothing rude in the minors.

Line B:

1. ♣A
2. ♣K
3. ♥A
4. ♥2 ruffed low (maybe club ruff is better?)
5. ♦A
6. ♦K
7. ♦ ruff low
8-12. High cross ruff

This needs diamonds to break 4-3 or 2=5 as well as nothing rude in either rounded suit. It'll also survive when diamonds are 5=2 with ♦Q dropping and spades being 3-2 (ruff two diamonds high using trumps to get back to hand). You'd also make when LHO is 4252. The other chance is that, after RHO overruffs a diamond and returns a trump, hearts go 33 or ♥K doubleton and spades are now 2-2.

Line B looks better than line A. There's probably another line that's better than either of them. However, both of them look better than the line in the OP

Had I followed the line in the OP, I'd probably ruff the diamond, overtake the trump and play the last trump:

-
AQT8
-
K2

6
4
J64
J

Hopefully LHO is now down to:

-
KJxx
-
?x

If he pitches a heart, we throw a club, play heart to Q, A and another heart. If he pitches a club, we throw a club, play heart to T, club K and guess if he has KJ9x(x) or KJxx. If he started with 5 hearts we exit H8, if he started with 4 hearts then we have a straight up 50:50 guess to exit ♥8 or ♥Q.

[Fluffy]

playing 2 rounds of trumps yourself on this hand.... its hard to find the words

[Codo]

1. Absolutely no. What is wrong with a high cross ruff? Does not need much more then diamonds 4-3 or 5-2 with the shortness at lho.

[twoshy]

Fluffy, on 2012-September-05, 21:10, said:

playing 2 rounds of trumps yourself on this hand.... its hard to find the words

To be fair, declarer would have been cold with spades 3-2 and diamonds 4-3 or 5-2 with Q doubleton, or spades 4-1 and diamonds 4-3 short Q, so it's not as though it's an aberration.

[gnasher]

How about this: ♣AK, club ruff low, ♦AK, diamond ruff low. If that survives, play the high crossruff. If the third diamond is overruffed, win the trump return, take a heart finesse and crossruff.

[rhm]

deleted

[rhm]

gnasher, on 2012-September-06, 02:47, said:

How about this: ♣AK, club ruff low, ♦AK, diamond ruff low. If that survives, play the high crossruff. If the third diamond is overruffed, win the trump return, take a heart finesse and crossruff.

If diamonds get over-ruffed the heart finesse is less than 50%.
It might be slightly better to try to establish hearts with two ruffs (better than 50%) and only if this fails, crossruff.
♣A, ♥A, ♥ruff low (should East show out, crossruff), ♣K, ♥ruff high.

If hearts are established
♦A discarding the club and three rounds of trumps overtaking ♠J, ♥s.

If hearts are not established, West discarding:

♦AK, ♦ruff low, high cross-ruff

If hearts are not established, East discarding diamond.

♦A discarding club, overtake ♠J, ♥ ruff high, ♦ruff low,♠T, ♥s


From the opening lead I discount West having a singleton heart.

Rainer Herrmann