[kayser]

Scoring: IMP


1♦-1♥-1♠-2♥
3♦-3♥-3NT-All Pass

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Declarer holds up the A♥ to the third round, discarding a spade from the table.

Declarer then cashes the diamonds, starting with ♦Kx from hand. Partner pitches two small clubs and two small spades, declarer one club and two spades before you have to discard something.

What is your discard on the fifth round of diamonds?

[mike777]

Partner should tell you where his entries are by his heart play, low cards or high ones, and also by playing o/e on first discard. You should also discard and play hearts the same way to tell partner where your key cards are.

[Walddk]

Excuse me, but I don't understand the problem. Declarer has 8 top tricks. Either partner has ♠A or he has not. If he has, we have 5 tricks, if he hasn't the contract is a make.

If declarer has ♣K, he has 9 top tricks again, so how can it matter what I pitch on the 5th diamond? If you really want me to discard while I am wasting my time, I will let go two spades on the 5th and 6th diamond.

I can also pitch one spade and one club, but I will keep two clubs in case partner has fallen asleep and bared his king.



Roland

[kayser]

I can tell you that there is something behind this problem. As a tip I can tell you that I played this deal in the North seat.

[Walddk]

kayser, on Mar 30 2005, 02:45 AM, said:

I can tell you that there is something behind this problem. As a tip I can tell you that I played this deal in the North seat.

North may have something like

Axx
QJ10xx
x
Kxxx

and he may not know what to discard on the 6th diamond in a moment. If he has paid attention to my discard on the 5th diamond, he won't have a problem. I will discourage spades! If I play standard signals, I will pitch the 5, if upside-down the queen.

In fact, he should have known long time ago that my values (if I have any) will be in clubs. I have followed to the first 4 diamond tricks with 3, 5, 6, 7 in that order.

"In case partner has fallen asleep", I wrote in my first post. It is hardly my fault if he is taking a nap at the table.



Roland

[mike777]

ok, fail to see issue on this hand. You have so many chances to tell each other where your high cards are. All south has to worry about is holding one s and 2 clubs. All north has to worry about is holding ace of s and 2 hearts. The rest is just playing up or down the line in hearts or diamonds. Add o/e and even less so.

North cannot overcall on just QJTx of hearts.

[kayser]

Quote

I will discourage spades!

Very well, this is the correct answer.

When this deal was played /playing udca/ south discarded a small club on the fifth diamond, leaving little clue on where his values were. As north, holding

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I did not know what to discard on the last diamond. In practice I took the extra chance that declarer did not have the situation clear to him (in excess to partner holding the K♠) and choose to discard a heart on the last diamond. This left declarer with a play toward his king for the game.

Partner later excused himself for not reading the situation and dropping the Q♠ to deny any spade values, and at the same time waking me up if I had not noticed that I would be in trouble on the last diamond.

[Walddk]

kayser, on Mar 30 2005, 03:45 AM, said:

Quote

I will discourage spades!

Very well, this is the correct answer.

When this deal was played /playing udca/ south discarded a small club on the fifth diamond, leaving little clue on where his values were. As north, holding

---

I did not know what to discard on the last diamond. In practice I took the extra chance that declarer did not have the situation clear to him (in excess to partner holding the K♠) and choose to discard a heart on the last diamond. This left declarer with a play toward his king for the game.

Partner later excused himself for not reading the situation and dropping the Q♠ to deny any spade values, and at the same time waking me up if I had not noticed that I would be in trouble on the last diamond.

Pitching ♠Q is obviously a very clear signal when playing udca, but it really shouldn't be necessary in an experienced partnership.

3, 5, 6, 7 in diamonds will have told the story long before. In a pick-up partnership it is unlikely that North will pay attention to those spot cards, and then it will be necessary to wake partner up by throwing ♠Q.

Count in diamonds is no issue here. North couldn't care less about how many diamonds South has. What he wants to know is where partner's values are. Playing the diamonds in the right order (low-high) should get the message across.

There are spot cards, and then there are spot cards in the right order.

Roland

[FrancesHinden]

Partner could have been more dramatic, but playing upside down attitude, with his first discard he encouraged clubs. Doesn't seem as if you should have gone wrong as long as you trusted his discard.

[mike777]

Issue was to see Roland's point of 8 tricks for declarer.