[phoenix214]

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How do you play in 4H on the following hand?
Lead 6H, Scoring Cross-Imp, random opps.

[Cyberyeti]

Win A♥, diamond to Q, when it loses I'm going to need some luck which I get with the diamond finesse and clubs 3-3 because I have a problem if they play spade-spade next not knowing the Q ruffs down.

My plan is to make 2 diamonds, 3 clubs and 5 trumps (which might mutate if they cut me off from the 4th club to another spade ruff instead of a club), clearly I'm in much better shape if the Q♦ holds.

[hrothgar]

Cyberyeti, on 2015-September-08, 07:19, said:

Win A♥, diamond to Q, when it loses I'm going to need some luck which I get with the diamond finesse and clubs 3-3 because I have a problem if they play spade-spade next not knowing the Q ruffs down.

My plan is to make 2 diamonds, 3 clubs and 5 trumps (which might mutate if they cut me off from the 4th club to another spade ruff instead of a club), clearly I'm in much better shape if the Q♦ holds.

I don't think you can get enough spade ruffs if the opponents keep leading trump every time they get in

[nige1]

Phenix214 asks "How do you play in 4H on the following hand?
Lead 6H, Scoring Cross-Imp, random opps"

IMO, most plausible lines of play involve guessing ♦s.
In practice, I'm afraid that I'd go down by taking a 1st round finesse of ♦9.

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[Cyberyeti]

hrothgar, on 2015-September-08, 08:34, said:

I don't think you can get enough spade ruffs if the opponents keep leading trump every time they get in

I'm only taking spade ruffs if the defence make me take spade ruffs

[gszes]

This will need some luck but I think best is to try and take advantage of our hidden dia assets. Win trick 1 in hand and lead the dia 9. East has no reason to assume we have any more diamonds and if their p has the dia Q they will never score it anyway. Rising with the ace seems reasonable, if east fails to play the ace you might as well run the 9 since you need some luck anyway.

Even if east rises with the ace and makes the :obvious: spade shift you are not out of the woods yet. If the defense fails to find a (kind of obvious looking) spade switch (after winning the ace) you should be fine winning 2d 3h 3c and cross ruffing the last 2. If they switch to spades though the entry situation becomes tenuous at best. We will most likely have to hope for 43 dia 33 clubs and 32 hearts. That's a pretty small target but it is a very sketchy game anyway.