[nige1]

At IMPs, South declares 5♥.
West leads ♦Q (normal leads).

Please press next to see dummy
Recently, a deal, something like this, occurred..
For the expert declarer, it was duck-soup
But the play is interesting -- IMO
-- difficult even at double-dummy.
At the table, I would fail against good defence
Plan the play.

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[PrecisionL]

Dummy reversal. Ruff 3rd♦ with A♥. Need Q♥ on side for 10 tricks, whoops contract is for 11 tricks,

[pescetom]

I would certainly get this wrong.
If you plan for Q♥ in W it is doable... but why plan that way given the auction?
I console myself that as South I would have passed 4♥.

[Cyberyeti]

It's easy enough if W has something like x, (Q/x)x, QJ10xx, Qxxxx and E QJ10xx, (Q/x)x, Kxxx, Kx, but I'm guessing the actual answer is more complicated than this.

[mikeh]

I’d be starting with diamond Ace, diamond ruff, heart Ace. Assuming nothing material happens, heart towards a KJx, intending to finesse based on vacant spaces.

If the hook loses, I’m down

If it wins, or the Queen had appeared earlier, I ruff another diamond and play a 3rd trump to the King, even if trumps are already gone.

I’m intending to play for a black suit squeeze against east.

If he has 5 or 6 spades (the non spade lead hints at 6), he’s already under some pressure after three rounds of diamonds and three of trump, if he has the KQx(x) in clubs. He has to keep 4 spades so will be down to QJ10x void void KQx. So we cash the last trump and he’s finished.

Btw, I think keycard was insane. Partner should always cue 2S with a big heart raise, even if not playing fast arrival.

[nige1]

At IMPs, South declares 5♥.
West leads ♦Q (normal leads).

The player responsible for the foolhardy 4N bid is a Robot. Replies make good guesses about the distribution and suggest plausible lines.

The deal was something like that on the left. Against that layout, after a ♦ lead, how do you succeed? At double-dummy, no problem. At the table, however, you might still fail if RHO finds a Rosenberg brilliancy

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[mikeh]

nige1, on 2020-May-24, 18:50, said:

At IMPs, South declares 5♥.
West leads ♦Q (normal leads).

The player responsible for the foolhardy 4N bid is a Robot. Replies make good guesses about the distribution and suggest plausible lines.

The deal was something like that on the left. Against that layout, after a ♦ lead, how do you succeed? At double-dummy, no problem. At the table, however, you might still fail if RHO finds a Rosenberg brilliancy

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I stand corrected. The winning line, playing a spade and ducking when east splits, is better than my choice, working both when east has the club honours and n the actual layout. Of course, one has to guess correctly when east makes the ‘obvious’ switch to the club Queen, which he definitely needs to do after his spade 10 holds the trick. While I am being semi-facetious about that ‘obviously’, it is in fact a play one could and, for an expert, should find at the table, since east is, by then, defending knowing all of the cards. The clue to the winning guess, on this hand, is restricted choice. With KQxx in clubs, east could play either. With Qxxx he has to play the Queen. As against that, one has to decide whether east is good enough to make the right play from Qxxx and also how likely it is that he lacks a club honour and did not make a weak jump overcall, which would be my choice with a stiff heart and a weak hand/decent spade suit.

To be clear, one wins the diamond, ruffs, plays heart Ace, heart to the Jack, diamond ruff, heart to the king. Where I suggested cashing the 4th heart in dummy, which works when east has both club honours, it is better to,play a spade towards one’s hand, ducking when east splits. If east switches to a club honour, one can play for split honours, winning and leading to the Jack, or one can play for East being endplayed in the blacks. East either leads another club, which you duck to the Jack, or commits suicide in spades

[Cyberyeti]

Tbf you feel an absolute idiot when the E hand is actually QJ876, Qx, Kx, K876 where the contract was cold all the time once a club wasn't led with no squeeze required.

I'd be interested to know what jump overcalls EW were playing as that looks like 2♠ rather than 1 to me.

[nige1]

Cyberyeti, on 2020-May-25, 02:59, said:

Tbf you feel an absolute idiot when the E hand is actually QJ876, Qx, Kx, K876 where the contract was cold all the time once a club wasn't led with no squeeze required.I'd be interested to know what jump overcalls EW were playing as that looks like 2♠ rather than 1 to me.

A possible explanation of the auction is that 3 of the players are robots,

In Cyberyeti's construction, declarer must play for the drop in trumps (a reasonable view); Having surmounted that hurdle, does he rely on LHO being dealt a singleton spade honour and failing to lead it?.

[Cyberyeti]

nige1, on 2020-May-25, 04:33, said:

A possible explanation of the auction is that 3 of the players are robots,

In Cyberyeti's construction, declarer must play for the drop in trumps (a reasonable view); Having surmounted that hurdle, does he rely on LHO being dealt a singleton spade honour and failing to lead it?.

Do bots not play WJOs ?

My point is that if we think opps play WJOs, we probably discount the actual layout, and play for something else, W to hold both club honours or ♥Q to make him too strong for one or the other layout I posted upthread.

[Dinarius]

Key card in the entire hand is ♠️9.

After that, ❤️Q has to be right.

Lack of a ♠️ lead is revealing and helpful.

As for "duck soup" for an expert; I've seen easier newspaper column hands. I suspect many would fail. But, I'm no expert.

Great hand. Thanks for sharing.



D.

[nige1]

Dinarius, on 2020-May-26, 06:31, said:

Key card in the entire hand is ♠️9. After that, ❤️Q has to be right.Lack of a ♠️ lead is revealing and helpful. As for "duck soup" for an expert; I've seen easier newspaper column hands. I suspect many would fail. But, I'm no expert.Great hand. Thanks for sharing. D.

Thank you. The deal is a construction. The problem is based on a deal from the Povratnik - Brose challenge final, -- adapted to make the play more challenging. In the match deal, play and defence were sloppy and the robot declarer could have been defeated.

[Dinarius]

I inputted the hand into the bridge program Jack.

It begins correctly by finessing the diamond at trick two.

But, it does not finesse the heart, instead playing for the drop. (East showing Spades in the bidding)

If I correct that play and make it finesse the heart, it then finds the squeeze.

D.