[inquiry]

Click the NEXT button to see the first six tricks. Your carding is "standard", and partner would not lead low at trick one against notrump from a suit headed by a TEN or less. (spoiler in case you want to work out card reading on your own at the critical point in play, otherwise info available to your from routine card reading is given in spoiler (click spoiler to see that info you should know on your own)

Spoiler

Partner has shown five hearts presumably headed by the JACK, an even number of diamonds (clearly two) and an even number of spades (clearly four).

Review why this is the case....
trick 1, 4th best lead, heart five (rule of 11, six higher.. you see one in dummy, two in your hand so three in declarer's),
trick 2, partner's ♦8 looks like even count
trick 3, partner's ♠7 looks like even count. So partner will also have even number of clubs.
trick 4, heart four shows five card suit.
trick 5. Confirms even number of diamonds (thus 2)

South has shown up with a hand something like this
♠xx
♥ATxx (most likely)
♦KQx
♣H??? Where he MUST have the Club ACE or KING, he didn't have enough to bid as strongly as he di, if he had both club AK he would have bid more strongly. So let's place one of the club honors in South's hand. Also West must have at least the club Ten or club nine (since partner only has a doubleton that includes the Ace or king)

What do you return to trick seven and why.

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[Fluffy]

Check it Ben, Dummy has only 12 cards

[inquiry]

Fluffy, on 2013-June-01, 07:28, said:

Check it Ben, Dummy has only 12 cards

Thanks when I was deleting the other hands for single dummy display, I must have clipped off the club Jack, the last card in dummy's hand.

[Fluffy]

I would never see this at the table, I mean, I have problems to see it even double dummy.

[rhm]

Fluffy, on 2013-June-01, 14:53, said:

I would never see this at the table, I mean, I have problems to see it even double dummy.

The likely solution envisaged is not so difficult to see even single dummy.
However, unless I overlook something, there is a fly in the ointment.
Declarer does not seem to be very competent and I at least would need some more information before deciding what to play next.

Are we to assume that declarer is an expert?
What did 2NT show?
Was it forcing?

Rainer Herrmann

[y66]

That's a pretty cool problem. Feels more like a chess problem for advanced players than a bridge problem for intermediate players! Hats off to anyone who works this out at the table.

[inquiry]

rhm, on 2013-June-01, 17:04, said:

The likely solution envisaged is not so difficult to see even single dummy.
However, unless I overlook something, there is a fly in the ointment.
Declarer does not seem to be very competent and I at least would need some more information before deciding what to play next.

Are we to assume that declarer is an expert?
What did 2NT show?
Was it forcing?

Rainer Herrmann

2nt was forcing to 3nt. The declarer was a BBO Advanced Robot. My partner was a human who gave a false count in spades thus I didn't have a chance to find the winning defense, because I thought the hand was different in reality that it was. For the problem, I had him give a correct count.

[nigel_k]

I'm really not seeing it at all. A low club looks normal and there appear to be a number of layouts where any other return will let it make.

[Cyberyeti]

nigel_k, on 2013-June-02, 18:26, said:

I'm really not seeing it at all. A low club looks normal and there appear to be a number of layouts where any other return will let it make.

Seems like this to me, partner needs A with 9 or 10.

[GreenMan]

♦J.

[rhm]

inquiry, on 2013-June-02, 17:45, said:

2nt was forcing to 3nt. The declarer was a BBO Advanced Robot. My partner was a human who gave a false count in spades thus I didn't have a chance to find the winning defense, because I thought the hand was different in reality that it was. For the problem, I had him give a correct count.

After trick 6 with North on lead declarer has 4 tricks and the defense 2.

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Lead a diamond (I guess this is the intended solution and considering declarer's play South is more likely to have the ♣T, but it works also with the ♣2)

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Lead and continue clubs.

Both solutions suffer a bit because the robot butchered the hand, particularly on the intended solution.
I have difficulty seeing why one solution should be preferred over the other except that I could not resist the first solution for a beauty contest.

Rainer Herrmann

[Fluffy]

rhm, on 2013-June-01, 17:04, said:

The likely solution envisaged is not so difficult to see even single dummy.

I envision that one day, when I admit that I find a play difficult and you won't insta-jump to say it is obvious, that day you will be on vacation I guess

[gszes]

What i like most about this hand is it stresses the importance
of showing count during the play to help with the defense. While
count can sometimes help declarer your p will normally be the
one that benefits from the information because defense is a
lot harder than declarer play and requires more imagination.
Don't just count HCP make sure you picture declarers (and p)
hand as much as possible.

[inquiry]

I am happy people (at least some) found this problem entertaining or difficult. I believe the best description was the one saying it was like a chess problem. I discovered this while reviewing with my partner his carding errors on defense. It was neat pointing out that with correct carding, that I (north) might have found the winning defense (to be honest, playing against robots and drinking a bit too much at the time, I probably would not have that night, but I didn't have the chance I gave you guys because of my partner's useless falsecard against the robot declarer).

East has to sacrifice a trick in diamonds to gain an all important tempo... it gives the declarer an instant bonus trick in diamonds. But it breaks his communication between his two hands. Think of it as a "pawn" sacrifice... If he takes the ♠A while in dummy, it will set up a spade trick for partner. If he leaves the ♠A in dummy, he will never get that one, and you regain the trick you sacrificed with the diamond switch. Partner will score a club, a heart and the spade ten.

On a club back, best case is partner has the ♣A-10 (he had ♣A-9). If partner takes the ♣Ace, declarer will be able to win two clubs, a heart or two spades and a diamond (declarer will have to guess to pin the ♣10 if he has the ♣9, simple hook if he has the ♣10). If partner ducks the ♣ to the ♣J. There are several lines that will make the hand, among them completely ducking a club or a club to the ten.

I am in the camp that this was a very interesting defensive ending (robot could have taken a different line earlier)... perhaps because I could use it as a lesson in why not falsecard your partner during hand review. Full hand was...

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