[32519]

This hand comes from a recent club match. The hand records say that 7♦ by either East or West can make. I can't see the play. Please help.

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Two questions:
1. How should the bidding continue?
2. How does 7♦ make (according to the hand records)?

[Antrax]

What's the point of bidding FSF with a stopper in the fourth suit when you're already in a game force?

On a spade lead from north, W has two top spades, three top hearts, five diamonds, a club and two spade ruffs.

[Lord Molyb]

1♠ - 2♣
2♦ - 2♥
3♦ - 3♥
3♠ - 4♦
4NT - 5♦
5NT - 6♥
7♦

I'm assuming 3♥ would be natural. After east shows a 1-4-3-5 hand, west knows there isn't a spade loser and can ask for aces.
As for the play, on a heart lead, west wins the queen, plays a club to the ace, finesses the spade cheaply, ruffs a spade, ruffs a club, ruffs a spade, ruffs a club, ruffs a spade, and plays a top heart from dummy. I think there are multiple possible end positions at this point but I'm not very sure. The one I reached was:

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West leads the Ace of hearts from dummy and south is caught. If he discards the ♠K then west discards the ♠A and gets his three high trumps. If he instead ruffs, west overruffs and his hand is high.
EDIT: fixed diagram

Antrax, on 2013-June-02, 10:23, said:

What's the point of bidding FSF with a stopper in the fourth suit when you're already in a game force?

On a spade lead from north, W has two top spades, three top hearts, five diamonds, a club and two spade ruffs.

I think there are some transportation issues. The 6-2 heart division muddles things up a bit, otherwise it would be very easy.

[32519]

Assume a ♦ lead from North. I can't see how this makes then.

[awm]

32519, on 2013-June-02, 11:06, said:

Assume a ♦ lead from North. I can't see how this makes then.

Well you can make as follows:

1. Diamond lead won by dummy's ace.
2. Spade to queen.
3. Spade ruff (North cannot ruff high enough to score a trump)
4. Heart to queen.
5. Spade ruff.
6. Heart ruff.
7-9. Three rounds of trump, pitching small clubs from dummy.
10. Spade ace, pitching small club from dummy.
11. Club to dummy's ace.
12-13. Ace-king of heart.

How realistic is this line? Well after the trump lead you'd need to be quite lucky to establish the spades (will need king falling third), and the spade finesse seems about as good a chance. If you've decided to take spade finesse then the line above is fine.

[nige1]

32519, on 2013-June-02, 09:32, said:

This hand comes from a recent club match. The hand records say that 7♦ by either East or West can make. I can't see the play. Please help.
Two questions:
1. How should the bidding continue?
2. How does 7♦ make (according to the hand records)?

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There seem to be several solutions

You can play as Lord Molybd suggests.

On non-heart lead, you can finesse spades, cross ruff black suits, and draw trumps, to reach this four card ending. ♠A squeezes LHO in the round suits

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.

[32519]

awm, on 2013-June-02, 11:37, said:

Well you can make as follows:

1. Diamond lead won by dummy's ace.
2. Spade to queen.
3. Spade ruff (North cannot ruff high enough to score a trump)
4. Heart to queen.
5. Spade ruff.
6. Heart ruff.
7-9. Three rounds of trump, pitching small clubs from dummy.
10. Spade ace, pitching small club from dummy.
11. Club to dummy's ace.
12-13. Ace-king of heart.

How realistic is this line? Well after the trump lead you'd need to be quite lucky to establish the spades (will need king falling third), and the spade finesse seems about as good a chance. If you've decided to take spade finesse then the line above is fine.

Even double dummy I failed to see this line of play. And that is the simple reason why some players are just better than others. Well done.

[WGF_Flame]

on a diamond lead finesse to the Q spade, ruff 2 spades draw trumps, and throw the last 2 spades on the AK hearts.