[Echognome]

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After a strong auction you end up in a meager 3nt. Partner jokes that he hopes you don't make too many.

You get a heart lead which you take in dummy and play the ♣A. East shows out! You wake up as your trick source has suddenly disappeared. You have 7 top tricks. What is your best chance to generate two more? You don't want partner to think you can't make a combined 30 point 3NT!

I will post the defender's hands after a few replies.

[pclayton]

In my shock did I notice what RHO's pitch on the club was?

Need to know the heart spot LHO led, but its not as important.

[whereagles]

Here's what I think you can do.

Play the spade queen. If it is covered, take the ace and finesse the 9. If the 2nd finesse works, you win, else you play as follows.

If West takes the spade king, you take the heart back in hand, cash diamond ace, unblock spade ace and finesse the diamond queen. If that works, you win again. If not, take the heart back in dummy, cash dummy's winners. With a bit of luck, West is now left with clubs only, so you lead a club to the 10 to endplay him. You lose 1 spade, 1 club, 1 diam and perhaps 1 heart if West has 4 of them, together with his 5 clubs.

[Echognome]

pclayton, on Apr 24 2005, 10:47 PM, said:

In my shock did I notice what RHO's pitch on the club was?

Need to know the heart spot LHO led, but its not as important.

RHO throws a diamond.

LHO lead 8♥ and they play 2nd's and 4th's.


For whereagles (hidden):

Spoiler

All the spades and diamonds are with East. He covered the QS ,

[pclayton]

RHO appears to be 5=3=5=0 or 4=4=5=0.

Play A♠, ♠ to Q.

Later strip ♥'s and play A♦, ♦ to 9.

[luke warm]

i guess i'd play a spade to the ace, then a low spade back, beating whatever lho plays (if possible)... i hope to take 3 spades, 3 hearts, a club and 2 diamonds

[Echognome]

I think most of you had it right. The key is to simply endplay East (RHO). The hands were:

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I played Q♠ covered by K and taken by Ace. Then I played a small diamond to the 9 which lost. East returned a heart. Then I layed down A♦ and West showed out. Now the play was straightforward. I cashed my hearts and East showed out on the third one. I played Q♠ and then threw East in with a spade. He had to concede a couple of tricks at the end. I think Luke Warm's idea of Ace and another spade up is slightly better though.

At the other table our teammates led a small club, making the contract much easier.

[Fluffy]

Well done Jimmy!, but didn't Phil say it before?

[luke warm]

well yes he did, as a matter of fact .... and usually i read phil's posts before i post, just in case heheh... i missed it this time... btw, i wouldn't necessarily play a spade back to the queen, i'd sometimes play the 9...just depends on what lho plays