[Tramticket]

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IMPs

North leads the ♥2, playing 4th highest leads and South plays the 10. Best line?

Spoiler

If you choose to hold up, South will continue with the ♥Q, then ♥J.

If you test diamonds, North will play the 4 and South the 5 on the first round

Our opponents faced this problem, from a teams match last night. I can't comment on the bidding.

[nige1]

Spoiler

Tramticket 'IMPs North leads the ♥2, playing 4th highest leads and South plays the 10.'
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As soon as declarer starts cashing ♦s, defenders will realise that there is no hope unless he is has a ♠ void. A possible chance is that his LHO has ♣A and only 3 ♥s: Win the 3rd ♥, cash ♦A. When ♦T fails to drop, cash remaining ♦s and lead a ♣.
Perhaps better, however, is to win ♥A at trick one, cash ♦A and lead a ♣, hoping for a ♥ blockage e.g. LHO having been dealt ♥K732 or ♥KQ732.

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[shyams]

nige1, on 2021-February-04, 12:13, said:

Spoiler

Perhaps better, however, is to win ♥ at trick one, cash ♦A and lead a ♣, hoping for a ♥ blockage e.g. LHO having been dealt ♥K732.

Actually the play of cards to tricks 1 and 2 gives away the show.

Spoiler

South's play of ♥Q at trick two only makes logical sense if South was dealt the QJ10 tight. And your line works better by winning Trick 2!

I recall reading in a book on defence (probably by Hugh Kelsey?) which recommended that if holding such a blocking suit, South should play the Jack at trick 2. When it is ducked, South can now continue with the Queen

[nullve]

Spoiler

nige1, on 2021-February-04, 12:13, said:

As soon as declarer starts cashing ♦s, defenders will realise that there is no hope unless he is has a ♠ void.

On the ♦AK the defender with 0-1 diamonds may then deceptively (why?)

* discard a spade with 1-3 spades;
* not discard a spade with 4 spades.

[johnu]

Spoiler

I would hold up 1 round in hearts, and after seeing South's 2nd heart play, win, and run off 7 diamonds. If ♦10 dropped on 1st round, you could cross to ♦9 to cash spades, before finishing diamonds.

After running diamonds, lead a heart and South will have to win unless North crashes the heart honors. South will then have to lead clubs, setting up ♣K. You may have to guess whether to toss ♠A or ♣K if North has the ♣A and cashes the last heart.

Better to just cash 2 diamonds based on 2-1 split, and then lead a heart. No need to guess because there will be lots of other cards to discard from dummy. If diamonds were 3-0, then all the diamonds need to be cashed to make the endplay work..

[Tramticket]

The actual hand was:

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The winning line on this layout is to win the second heart, play the ace of diamonds and when the ten doesn't fall, play a second round to eliminate the suit. The exit in hearts and if South wins, he will have to give us an entry to dummy. If North wins and shifts to a club, dummy plays low and South must play low to avoid the endplay, but declarer can cash the nine of hearts before crossing to dummy with the nine of diamonds and running the spades. If North wins and put declarer back in with the heart, declarer crosses to dummy with the diamond and succeeds when the spades divide 4-4.

[Tramticket]

nige1, on 2021-February-04, 12:13, said:

Perhaps better, however, is to win ♥A at trick one, cash ♦A and lead a ♣, hoping for a ♥ blockage e.g. LHO having been dealt ♥K732.

Declarer tried leading towards the ♣K. He lost three hearts and five clubs for -500!

shyams, on 2021-February-04, 13:25, said:

South should play the Jack at trick 2. When it is ducked

Yes, I agree with this.

[pescetom]

Tramticket, on 2021-February-05, 06:34, said:

The winning line on this layout is to win the second heart, play the ace of diamonds and when the ten doesn't fall, play a second round to eliminate the suit. The exit in hearts and if South wins, he will have to give us an entry to dummy. If North wins and shifts to a club, dummy plays low and South must play low to avoid the endplay, but declarer can cash the nine of hearts before crossing to dummy with the nine of diamonds and running the spades. If North wins and put declarer back in with the heart, declarer crosses to dummy with the diamond and succeeds when the spades divide 4-4.

It's a neat problem and a sensible line, but on the actual layout I don't think it matters whether you duck the first heart or whether you play a second round of diamonds to eliminate the suit: the important thing is to pull south's diamond and exit in hearts.

[nige1]

TramTicket 'The actual hand was: The winning line on this layout is to win the second heart, play the ace of diamonds and when the ten doesn't fall, play a second round to eliminate the suit. The exit in hearts and if South wins, he will have to give us an entry to dummy. If North wins and shifts to a club, dummy plays low and South must play low to avoid the endplay, but declarer can cash the nine of hearts before crossing to dummy with the nine of diamonds and running the spades. If North wins and put declarer back in with the heart, declarer crosses to dummy with the diamond and succeeds when the spades divide 4-4.'
++++++++++++++++++++
Thank you for a an interesting problem, TramTicket. On the actual layout, the winning line requires declarer to rely on ♠s breaking 4-4 ♠, as well as favourable ♣ and ♥ positions.
Unless self-kibitzing, IMO, it seems better to win the 1st ♥ playing for LHO to hold ♣A and either ♥ K732 or ♥ KQ732.

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[nullve]

Practical line:

Win the first or second heart.
Cash the ♦AK.
If someone discards a spade, assume spades are 4-4 and enter dummy with the ♦9.
Else assume spades are 5-3 or worse and exit in hearts.

[nige1]

nullve, on 2021-February-05, 23:55, said:

Practical line: Win the first or second heart.Cash the ♦AK. If someone discards a spade, assume spades are 4-4 and enter dummy with the ♦9. Else assume spades are 5-3 or worse and exit in hearts.

If declarer adopts Nullve's line, he must win the first ♥ to avoid end-playing dummy. After cashing ♥A, ♦AK9, ♠AKQJ6 (♠s oblige by splitting 4-4) and then exiting in ♥s, defenders are playing double-dummy and declarer must still guess ♣s.

[nullve]

Sorry, thought the contract was 3NT...