[Trumpace]

This hand is strictly for Intermediate players. Experts please refrain from posting solutions till some intermediates have tried it first. (Comments/Corrections are very welcome though).

Scoring: Rubber

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You are south in 6H. West leads a diamond.

(Please don't worry about the bidding or if there is a better contract)

[bestguru]

here goes nothing :
(hidden text)

Spoiler

I'm feeling rather dense. I can't see how this makes if hearts aren't 3/2. If they are, the order you play the heart suit doesn't matter, just be sure to take your heart loser before attacking the other suits.
edit: okay, there is the small possibility that west is XX84, short in diamonds, and kind enough to try and ruff a diamond. In which case you play 2 to the king 6 covering the 8 or ducking.

Please feel free to tear this reply up.

[badderzboy]

I'm a BILlie but I'll hide my attempt too

Spoiler

♠ 2
♥ A97532
♦ J
♣ KQJ97

♠ AJ3
♥ K6
♦ AKQ98
♣ AT8

Counting winners 5♣ 1♠ 4♦ 2♥ & heart length

I have to lose a Heart at the very least so I need to worry about a ruff by opps as rest are good

So I win J Diamonds and play to K ♥ and assuming both follow - if honour drops great play to ace and concede a Heart and rest are high if not you need to play Ace and hope for 3-2 split

If they break 4-1 never mind!

Steve

[Gerardo]

Hint: Use black suits instead of colored ones when you are using hidden text.

[bestguru]

Can someone give us a yea or nea? I have this annoying feeling that I've missed something.

[sceptic]

I think this all depends on trump split so I would test hearts, win first diamond trick with the jack and play the 2 from dummy

If left hand op plays a heart, then I would play the 6, NOT covering a higher card, hoping for a 3/2 split,

If any side has a 5/0 split, I don't think you can make

if there is a 4/1 split I think it can only be played and made if west has 4 cards and east has the 10 J or Q singleton, as you may be able to force them to try and ruff a Diamond thus enabling you to over ruff, after you have regained the lead from west.

[sceptic]

I would also be discarding clubs , so that I could apply pressure that way if they failed trump

[Trumpace]

sceptic, your line fails if West has QT84. We should be finessing _West_ as 4 trumps with East is very unlikey to be made.

badderzboy, bestguru, I think the hand can be made even if West has XX84.


We have to avoid losing 2 trump tricks.

3-2 Trump split is easy (almost any play will do).
5-0 cannot be made.
4-1 trump split, length with east looks like it cannot be made.
4-1 trump split, 8H or 4H singleton with east looks like it cannot be made.

4-1 trump split, XX84 with West, I think _can_ be made, no matter how West plays, if West has atleast 2 clubs and one spade.


The following line of play seems to work: (hidden)

Spoiler

Win the DJ in dummy and lead a low Heart to the King. Note if east plays Q, J or T.
Now lead the 6H towards the dummy intending to finesse the nine (safety play?). If west has 4 trumps, he must play something bigger than the 9. Say he plays the 10. Rise with the Ace. If east follows, we are there. So assume East shows out.

Assuming that east played the J (Q or T) on the first round of trumps (other wise we cannot make the hand anyway), West is left with say, Q8 of trumps.

The idea now to play through West in order to 'finesse' his trumps. West might not oblige by ruffing, so we have to time the play so that the lead at the 12th trick is in hand, with 2 trumps in the dummy. If there were more than 2 trumps in dummy, say 3, then on the 11th trick we would have to ruff and lead away from dummy which gives away 2 tricks. So we have to ruff twice in dummy in order to get down to 97.

The position is now:

2
9753
_
KQJ97


AJ3
_
AKQ9
AT8

Lead is in dummy.
Play a spade to the Ace and ruff a spade. Play a club back to hand and ruff another spade. We now are down to 97 of trumps in the dummy. Get back to hand with a club. Position is:

_
97
_
QJ7


_
_
AKQ9
8

Now start playing diamonds through West (discarding clubs), aiming the lead to be in the hand at the 12th trick leading towards the 97 of hearts.

It does no good to West if he ruffs before the 12th trick. If he ruffs with the 8, we overruff and play the good clubs maintaining control of the hand. If he ruffs with the Q, any return allows us to get to dummy to draw the last trump and win the rest.

[badderzboy]

Not if the diamond lead was singleton and opps holds a ♥ greater than 9.

East wins and returns a Diamond ruff 1 down?

Steve

[Trumpace]

badderzboy, on Feb 27 2005, 04:08 AM, said:

Not if the diamond lead was singleton and opps holds a ♥ greater than 9.
East wins and returns a Diamond ruff 1 down?

I presume you are talking about the case when trumps are 3-2, and you finesse the (second round) trump 9 into the east hand?

If east wins the trump and returns a diamond and West ruffs, you are in a position to overruff as dummy too has a singleton diamond and also the ace of trumps West would be ruffing with the last trump outstandingand you can then claim the rest.

Did I misunderstand you?

[badderzboy]

Yes, you're right Trumpace I had my stupid head on lol