[gnasher]

---

West leads ♦2 (3rd/5th)
East plays ♦Q

How would you play?

[Fluffy]

I would pitch a diamond before playing ♠J

[rhm]

This is a very complex hand.
The lead is ominous. LHO would hardly lead diamonds from a three card suit. But I do not know who has the diamonds.
I have no clue what the best play is, only a suggestion how to play.
Obviously you have to decide whether you want to try to ruff a spade.
Drawing trumps without ruffing a spade does not look good, because a squeeze is unlikely to develop if opponents duck the ace of spades, possibly twice and the count would not be rectified.
Also entries to dummy could be a problem

Accordingly my basic play is still to establish the spades.

T1: ♦A
T2,3 top clubs and discard diamond from hand
T4: ♠J

Further developments depend whether the ♠A is taken by whom and what minor is returned. There are too many variations.
If East wins and returns a diamond, ruff high, cash one top spade and ruff a spade. If spades are 4-3, I cash dummy's trumps, club ruff, draw trumps.
If spades are 5-2, I cash dummy trumps and try to cash the top diamond for a spade discard.
Best defense may well be to let the ♠J hold.
I will then play a heart to the ace and ruff a spade high, cash the last heart in dummy, ruff a club, draw the last trump and play the spade king.
This line will often need trumps 3-2 and either spades must break or the spade ten must drop.

Rainer Herrmann

[gszes]

agree with fluffy/rhm lop--adopt 1430 when hearts are trumps and you will have room
to ask for the trump Q when p has only 1 (instead of getting lucky and finding p with Q)
))))) 0314 is great for all other circumstances IMHO