[nige1]

Scottish National League (IMPS and VPs)
Against your 4♥, West leads ♦KQ East playing ♦37 (Even number).
When you win ♦A, how do you play?

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[The_Badger]

IMPs or MPs, Nigel? This looks too easy I assume there's a nasty catch

[nige1]

 The_Badger, on 2018-October-30, 09:57, said:

IMPs or MPs, Nigel? This looks too easy I assume there's a nasty catch

IMPS and VPs (added this to OP)
Everybody else found this easy .

[mikeh]

I am torn about how to play this. The basic idea is pretty simple (or, more accurately, my basic idea is pretty simple). I want to cross to dummy to lead a heart towards the Queen, paying off to the stiff king offside. But which black suit (I will not ruff a diamond just yet, if at all)?

The spade looks safest, if only because a club to the A and a losing heart hook gives LHO an easy club play, but a spade play gives RHO an easy spade exit if/when he wins a trick. Oh well.

I play a spade to the King and advance a heart to the Queen. If it holds, and LHO plays the 9 or the 10, either of which would be a mandatory falsecard from 109x) (inviting me to go back to dummy and lead the heart J), I will play a low trump to the Jack....catering to K10xx or K9xx onside.

As for how I play thereafter, let me know what happened so far

[gszes]

I admit I see the heart A as a flame and I cannot seem to escape it. I do not mind losing 1d 1h 1c and doing anything besides laying down the heart ace seems to create possible other problems. Even if I discover I have 2 heart losers there is no guarantee I have a club loser.

[nige1]

 mikeh, on 2018-October-31, 14:15, said:

I am torn about how to play this. The basic idea is pretty simple (or, more accurately, my basic idea is pretty simple). I want to cross to dummy to lead a heart towards the Queen, paying off to the stiff king offside. But which black suit (I will not ruff a diamond just yet, if at all)?
The spade looks safest, if only because a club to the A and a losing heart hook gives LHO an easy club play, but a spade play gives RHO an easy spade exit if/when he wins a trick. Oh well.
I play a spade to the King and advance a heart to the Queen. If it holds, and LHO plays the 9 or the 10, either of which would be a mandatory falsecard from 109x) (inviting me to go back to dummy and lead the heart J), I will play a low trump to the Jack....catering to K10xx or K9xx onside.As for how I play thereafter, let me know what happened so far

When you cross to dummy ♠2 4 K 5.
to finesse ♥3 6 Q K.
LHO leads ♦J ruffed and over-ruffed with HT.
RHO exits with ♠6

[The_Badger]

The more I look at this hand, Nigel, the more I realise it's a bit tricky around the edges. Good post. Like mikeh I'm torn how to play this, even at IMPs to make sure that the contract is safe. I assume the opponents were using the Multi or Benji as West has turned up with ♦KQJxxx and ♥K so far.

[nige1]

 The_Badger, on 2018-November-01, 13:06, said:

The more I look at this hand, Nigel, the more I realise it's a bit tricky around the edges. Good post. Like mikeh I'm torn how to play this, even at IMPs to make sure that the contract is safe. I assume the opponents were using the Multi or Benji as West has turned up with ♦KQJxxx and ♥K so far.

The_Badger is right. Opponents were playing Multi. Sorry, I probably should have mentioned that fact, of which I was unaware at the time. In Scotland, Benjamin and Multi are more popular than a weak 2♦,

The winning lines on these deals are straightforward. But it's easy to overthink them.

Rubbing one's nose in one's messes is masochistic but good for the soul. Hence the "Mea Culpa" subtitles.

The full deal will be revealed soon.

[nige1]

Scottish National League (IMPS and VPs)
Against your 4♥, West leads ♦KQ East playing ♦37 (Even number).
When you win ♦A, how do you play?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The full deal is on the left.
I crossed to ♠K, lost the ♥ finesse, and suffered a ♦ over-ruff.
When RHO returned a ♠, I rose with ♠A and could not recover.
John Matherson started with a ♣ to dummy's ♣K.
Now, when RHO over-ruffed the ♦, she was endplayed in the black suits.
She had to concede a trick, immediately, and, later, she succumbed to a black-suit squeeze.
Immediately ruffing a ♦ can also work.
IMO, gszes's line of ♥A and another is simplest and best.
It even produces an overtrick

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