[mink]

Bidding goes:
[pre]
West North East South
2D (Wilcozs)
- 2S 3D pass
pass Dbl pass 3S
pass pass 4H pass
pass 4S all pass
[/pre]
First double was asked, but opp explained the 2D bid again ("5-5 7-11")

You are sitting East with
[pre]
K 9
A Q J 7 2
K Q 9 7 4 3
-
[/pre]
What is your lead?

Answer will be posted later.

Karl

[mink]

Nobody any idea? :-)

I lead DK. The following dummy appeared:
[pre]
Q 8 7 6 3
10 8
8
K J 7 3 2
[/pre]
East gave D6, and North won with DA. He continued with DJ. What do you do now?

To be continued

[Codo]

1. Diamond King

2. Diamond Queen

Seems to be so obvious that it must be wrong....

[the hog]

Don't like this much as it appears that a losing H is about to be discarded on a D. If declarer has the SA I think you are history. After you cover he will cross to the A and play the DT. Best line seems to be to hope that declarer has the CA and not the SA.

If pd has 3S you have it beat with a ruff, A & K of S and a H. Danger hands are if declarer has 4 or 5S as now you will only take a ruff, A of S and a H
If he comes off the board with a C, ruff this, (with the K to maximise the beat and make sure pd is not asleep if he does have Axx of S; you don't want him to duck the K of S), and put pd in with the A of S for him to lead a H through the K. Is it possible on this bidding that declarer has 5S eg something like

Jxxxx
Kx
AJT
AQx

or say a H more and a C less. Hard to know unless you know their agreements over 2D.

Anyway the above is my line, but I need to know with what he is going to come of the board and what cards my partner has played to all this.

This scenario is unlikely though, as with the above shown hand declarer should not bid 2S playing Wilcozs. This is much more a 3D bid. Also how competent is declarer? If declarer is a poor player and takes a S hook, he has just grosvenored me as I am playing a S back because if he is about to pitch a losing H, no sane declarer would play that way.

[mink]

Contract North 4 Spade.
This was the complete deal:
[pre]
A 10 4
K 5
A J 10 2
Q 10 6 5
J 5 2 K 9
9 6 4 3 A Q J 7 2
6 5 K Q 9 7 4 3
A 9 8 4 -
Q 8 7 6 3
10 8
8
K J 7 3 2
[/pre]
Trick 1: East: Diamond K 8 6 A
Trick 2: North: Diamond J 2 H8 5
Clearly it was not very clever of me to duck here.
Trick 3: North: Spade A 9 3 2
Trick 4: North: Spade 4 K 5 6
This was my 3rd opportunity to set the contract by giving my partner a Diamond ruff. But I played it most badly by cashing HA and exiting with HQ. Sorry Partner.

DF-Analysis shows that declarer is home after the first lead if he continiues with S4 in Trick 2 or 3. But - surprise - there is one first lead that leaves the declarer helpless. Can you see now which one that is?

To be continued

[Codo]

Hi Karl,

I thought that double dummy two cards will win for the defence:
Both spades will give you a spade, a club and 2 Hearts if both of you defend "perfect".

Kind Regards

Roland

[rtewari]

Only spade king will work. As on spade nine, declarer can win the queen and duck a spade back to u and u are agin endplayed.

[mink]

Rajeshwar is right: only SK sets the contract provided that the declarer plays the best line.

Amazing, isn't it? I cannot think of how I should have found that at the table.

Karl