[gwnn]

IMP's

---

A small ♣ is led to East's Q, K, and A (the order is meaningless), W turns out to have ♣J43. How do you play?

opps are not super-strong.

[wank]

***** me. i thought i was a conservative pre-emptor

[Zelandakh]

Ruff, ♠A and run the diamond?

[gwnn]

wank, on 2013-December-01, 09:41, said:

***** me. i thought i was a conservative pre-emptor

I agree with that. I hate 2D on many different levels, I think I was in a coma.

[gwnn]

Zelandakh, on 2013-December-01, 09:59, said:

Ruff, ♠A and run the diamond?

LHO wins and plays a heart.

[Fluffy]

At MPs I'd play ♠A+♠Q looking for 11, but I supose this is IMPs

[RunemPard]

I am gonna take the crazy route of...

♠A and play a small spade for ruff, return with trump to dummy and play for Kxx in the 3♣ bidder. I will win ♥A and return to dummy with the ♥Q to play my spade winners and remove 2 diamonds.

[Fluffy]

it might be right to account for ♠Kx on your right, but why wouldn't you play ♠Q on the third spade round to account for ♠KXxx?

[helene_t]

Draw trumps, ending in dummy. Finese diamonds.

[kenberg]

I find this a difficult hand. Mostly I am wondering why E played a third club. He knows declarer started with six hearts and two clubs, leaving five cards to think about. Those fove cards could easily be xx in spades and Axx in diamonds. If East holds the King of spades, it seems he would switch to a diamond after taking two clubs. The conditions of the problem say that the opponents are not super strong but I don't think that it would take Eric Rodwell as East to see this, He has cashed two clubs, he knows a third isn't cashing, he can see that there is probably a diamond trick that can be established, I would have expected a diamond shift.

So I don't get it. But I think I ruff the third club low, lead a spade to the ace and a small spade back ruffed. Maybe the king comes down. If not, I cash the Ace of diamonds (if it gets ruffed I'll curse myself for not drawing this conclusion from the non-diamonds at T3) and lead a diamond. I expect to be able to later ruff high to the board, ruff another spade (that's three rounds of spades I don't ex[ect to be over-ruffed. I ruff my last diamond high on the board and claim, having all high trumps in my hand (I ruffed a club with the deuce at T3, and two spades with the 4 and 8 unless E stuck in the 9 of trump on a spade, then I over-ruffed). I don't care what the return was when I gave a diamond.

For this to work I need not to be over-ruffed at T3, but I trust the opps to not be leading smaller from two unless their card says so. I need my two aces to cash w/o being ruffed, I need at least three spades lying with West. Sounds right. Six hearts in hand, two aces, two high ruffs on the board.

[gszes]

wank, on 2013-December-01, 09:41, said:

***** me. i thought i was a conservative pre-emptor

I probably pass more hands than any other human alive and I would open that
hand 1h:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

[nige1]

gwnn, on 2013-December-01, 09:15, said:

IMP's
A small ♣ is led to East's Q, K, and A (the order is meaningless), W turns out to have ♣J43. How do you play?
opps are not super-strong.

---

Spoiler

Assuming you're brave enough to ruff the third ♣ low: Continue with ♦A and another. Win the return. Ruff a ♦ high. Return to hand with a trump. If trumps are 4-0 then rely on the ruffing ♠ finesse. Otherwise, ruff another ♦ high. Return with a ♠ ruff. Draw trumps.

[Zelandakh]

gwnn, on 2013-December-01, 12:30, said:

LHO wins and plays a heart.

♥Q, ♦A, ♥ ruff, ♠ ruff, ♥ ruff, high ♠ ruff. If RHO has 2 small diamonds with ♥9 non-singleton, or if either opponent has a singleton diamond and 2-3 trumps then I am down but spades are irrelevant assuming RHO did not start with 6. In other words, I am going for the highly advanced plan of ruffing 2 diamonds. I am assuming one of the more sophisticated ideas is going to end up working for this hand giving RHO something like ♠Kxxx ♥9x ♦xx ♣AKQxx. An everyday 3♣ overcall for the class of player involved.

[gwnn]

Zelandakh, on 2013-December-02, 03:17, said:

I am assuming one of the more sophisticated ideas is going to end up working for this hand giving RHO something like ♠Kxxx ♥9x ♦xx ♣AKQxx. An everyday 3♣ overcall for the class of player involved.

Spoiler

he actually had Kxx xx xxx AKQxx so yes something like that. I went off after finessing in diamonds again as I thought it was next to impossible that RHO had no ♦ honour at all and it seemed like a simple enough line.

[Zelandakh]

gwnn, on 2013-December-02, 04:42, said:

Spoiler

he actually had Kxx xx xxx AKQxx so yes something like that. I went off after finessing in diamonds again as I thought it was next to impossible that RHO had no ♦ honour at all and it seemed like a simple enough line.

Spoiler

I cannot think of a reasonable hand where a second diamond finesse will ever make the contract when ruffing 2 diamonds will not.

[ArtK78]

gwnn, on 2013-December-01, 09:15, said:

IMP's

---

A small ♣ is led to East's Q, K, and A (the order is meaningless), W turns out to have ♣J43. How do you play?

opps are not super-strong.

Pardon me for the partial hijack (aside from the comments about preempting style), but as someone who has only a limited experience with Multi, I find the 2♠ pass or correct response to be a little odd.

I know that you don't expect partner to have spades, but that is a possibility, is it not? In that case, do you really want to be in 2♠? Is there not a call available that is at least invitational in both majors? What is 2NT?

Of course, it is not clear that you want to invite in either major, given the number of minor suit losers that you rate to have. What is your preempting style?

[lowerline]

I have been playing multi for years. I never opened it with two aces and I never responded 2♠ with spades longer than hearts...

[kenberg]

The 3♣ bid is aggressive but oerhaps East figured that with the 2♠ call strongly suggesting a good heart fit, likely a nine card fit, he could get away with it. He does want a club lead. But after he takes two clubs, assuming he trusts his partner's carding, why not a diamond shift? With your stiff spade you can still get home, but a diamond shift will beat the contract any time that you hold xx in spades Assuming you didn't multoi with the AK of diamonds) . In my view, he can't hold the hand he holds because of the play, much more than because of the bidding. I guess I said something like this above.


The previous comment by Art also occurred to me. I also have never played the multi, although I have encountered it at the table. Just as 2♠ shows support for hearts, I assume 3♥ would show support for spades. And a fit for hearts, assuming pard's multi was on hearts. So why not a call of 3♥ instead of 2♠?

But anyway. it's a play question. What did you do on the third club? I can see ruffing high, worrying that whatever their card says about leads from doubletons there should be six clubs on your right. And after you ruff high, it complicates matters. But if you bring yourself to ruff low, it seems that cashing the side aces and playing for eight trump tricks via ruffs, high on the board low in your hand, is a strong favorite.

[Zelandakh]

lowerline, on 2013-December-02, 07:29, said:

I have been playing multi for years. I never opened it with two aces and I never responded 2♠ with spades longer than hearts...

Here is a similar thread from a few months back. Not quite the same since in that one the bidders of the long major were not prepared to play in the other one; but it illustrates that one should never say never.

[gwnn]

Zelandakh, on 2013-December-02, 05:49, said:

Spoiler

I cannot think of a reasonable hand where a second diamond finesse will ever make the contract when ruffing 2 diamonds will not.

Spoiler

Well for me it was too late already since I crossed to dummy with a heart initially and they played another heart. Sloppy. I think I was just too lazy to count how many spade ruffs I need in my hand to make it work.