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At Sixes and Sevens Par Problem

#1 User is offline   lamford 

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Posted 2021-October-06, 06:48


This is a fairly well-known hand, solved by Michael Rosenberg on the way to his fine win in the World Par Contest in 1998. If you don't know it, you may enjoy solving it. West leads the six of hearts and East will show out on the second round of trumps, of course, but you don't know that in advance.

I quickly established that the missing two of spades was a black herring, and irrelevant, but the third club intrigued me. Parts two and three are: How would you play if the third club was the seven, and how would you play if the third club was the six? If you ask EW, they will tell you that 2H is 3-9, always a six-card suit.

"Lat nat this wrechched wo thyn herte gnawe, But manly set the world on sexe and seuene."

[Also on Bridgewinners, as some do not read both]
I prefer to give the lawmakers credit for stating things for a reason - barmar
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#2 User is online   Cyberyeti 

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Posted 2021-October-06, 08:21

Clearly the layout I visualised is not the one there as the third club can be anything for my solution (E has x, QJ10xxx, xxxx, KQ).

I think you can do this if he has 3 diamonds and 3 clubs and again the third club is irrelevant.

Cash 3 spades, club A and 4 diamonds pitching clubs leaving



Now ruff a club and lead a heart, either W ruffs a loser and you're good or he pitches a club and you win K ruff a club and you have 12 tricks with W ruffing your losing heart at trick 13.
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#3 User is offline   lamford 

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Posted 2021-October-06, 10:26

View PostCyberyeti, on 2021-October-06, 08:21, said:

Clearly the layout I visualised is not the one there as the third club can be anything for my solution (E has x, QJ10xxx, xxxx, KQ).

I don't think there is much problem when the diamonds are 4-3 either way. You can arrange to score the second heart, and ruff a couple of clubs. Of course, they won't be ...
I prefer to give the lawmakers credit for stating things for a reason - barmar
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#4 User is offline   nige1 

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Posted 2021-October-06, 22:49

Lamford 'This is a fairly well-known hand, solved by Michael Rosenberg on the way to his fine win in the World Par Contest in 1998. If you don't know it, you may enjoy solving it. West leads the six of hearts and East will show out on the second round of trumps, of course, but you don't know that in advance. I quickly established that the missing two of spades was a black herring, and irrelevant, but the third club intrigued me. Parts two and three are: How would you play if the third club was the seven, and how would you play if the third club was the six? If you ask EW, they will tell you that 2H is 3-9, always a six-card suit.[Also on Bridgewinners, as some do not read both]'
+++++++++++++++++++++
Well spotted, Paul. Win A. Cash AK, discovering the 4-1 trump break. Cash AKQ.
1. If East is void in , West is 4171 and your best hope is that he has a singleton honour. Cash A, cross to A. Cash J, Ruff-finesse J.

2. If East has a singleton , then you need his doubleton to include 9. Advance J (covered by Q and A,
Cross to A Cash J, Lead T pinning 9.

3. If East has 2 or 3s, then you can ruff 2 s, with impunity.
Cash A, Cross to A. Discard a on J, Ruff a , Lead a towards dummy.

4. If East has 4s, then you need him to have doubleton KQ. Cash A cross to A. Discard a on A. Ruff a ..
(Double-dummy) :).

Chaucer said:

Lat nat this wretched wo thyn herte gnawe,
But manly set the world on sexe and seuene.

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#5 User is online   Cyberyeti 

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Posted 2021-October-07, 04:01

The hole I see in Nigel's analysis is that if W is 4153 then when you lead the heart towards dummy he pitches a club and overruffs the 3rd club, I couldn't see a way around that unless he had KQx.

Also not sure how you do it if he's 4126.
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#6 User is offline   nige1 

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Posted 2021-October-07, 05:46

Cyberyeti 'The hole I see in Nigel's analysis is that if W is 4153 then when you lead the heart towards dummy he pitches a club and overruffs the 3rd club, I couldn't see a way around that unless he had KQx. Also not sure how you do it if he's 4126.
+++++++++++++++++++
I don't know how to make when West is 4126 :( Also, unless defenders signal religiously, it isn't clear how you would know to play East for 4 s .:(
CyberYeti is also right about the case when East has 2s, .Then you might make by drawing only 1 round of trumps. But failing to test trumps means you can be defeated by a ruff when they are 3-2 :(
5. As CyberYeti suggests, you can hope that West has 2 honours as here (when he can't afford to discard a).

6. Alternatively, and slightly better, is to hope West has 9xx :) After 2 rounds of and 3 of . lead J covered by K and A.
Cross to A, Cash J and lead T covered and ruffed. Now a towards dummy squeezes West in s and trumps!

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#7 User is online   Cyberyeti 

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Posted 2021-October-07, 05:51

YOur second option looks better as with KQx and a trump trick I know what I'm leading and it ain't a heart
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#8 User is offline   lamford 

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Posted 2021-October-08, 10:10

View PostCyberyeti, on 2021-October-07, 05:51, said:

YOur second option looks better as with KQx and a trump trick I know what I'm leading and it ain't a heart

If you do lead the king of clubs, then declarer has no problem. He simply plays two rounds of trumps and four rounds of diamonds pitching clubs, and then squeezes you out of your fifth diamond, the queen of clubs and a trump. I don't think it is a backwash squeeze. It seems that it was Ottlik calls a one-card squeeze.

And partner will be there with "Did you not see the 2H bid, partner?"
I prefer to give the lawmakers credit for stating things for a reason - barmar
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#9 User is online   Cyberyeti 

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Posted 2021-October-08, 14:37

View Postlamford, on 2021-October-08, 10:10, said:

If you do lead the king of clubs, then declarer has no problem. He simply plays two rounds of trumps and four rounds of diamonds pitching clubs, and then squeezes you out of your fifth diamond, the queen of clubs and a trump. I don't think it is a backwash squeeze. It seems that it was Ottlik calls a one-card squeeze.

And partner will be there with "Did you not see the 2H bid, partner?"


Heart lead does no better double dummy
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#10 User is offline   lamford 

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Posted 2021-October-09, 10:20

View PostCyberyeti, on 2021-October-08, 14:37, said:

Heart lead does no better double dummy

But it will do better single dummy when declarer, not being a self-kibitzer, plays you for 9xx of clubs (6 cases) rather than KQx or KQ9 (5 cases)
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#11 User is offline   nige1 

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Posted 2021-October-09, 11:22

View Postlamford, on 2021-October-06, 10:26, said:

I don't think there is much problem when the diamonds are 4-3 either way. You can arrange to score the second heart, and ruff a couple of clubs. Of course, they won't be ...
Intrigued :) What single-dummy line by South succeeds when West has 3 s? :)
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