[pescetom]

This board was 6♠ at most tables (with a couple of 4♠ and a 6NT) so we can skip our bidding preliminaries this time (although pet auctions are welcome).

MP

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NS are beginners, the 7♦ lead will be the smallest of a long suit.
You were hoping to find both pointy kings in dummy, or at least better trumps.
Plan your play?

[Cyberyeti]

Not going to claim I can get to 6♣ which is be better than 6♠

[DavidKok]

Fun combination!

[mikeh]

Textbook hand, but I won’t spoil it.

[mw64ahw]

2♣ opener?

[pescetom]

 mw64ahw, on 2026-March-15, 14:53, said:

2♣ opener?

I prefer 1S. 2C has greater risks, although it's feasible.

But don't dodge the issue, how about the play?

[johnu]

2♣ by a passed hand is GF, bal or fit???

[johnu]

pescetom, on 2026-March-15, 12:35, said:

Plan your play?

I'm going to win the diamond lead with the king!

Spoiler

Then play ♠8 planning to run it. And then win a diamond or club in dummy to play to the ♠9

[pescetom]

 johnu, on 2026-March-16, 19:12, said:

2♣ by a passed hand is GF, bal or fit???

Fixed thanks, forgot the pass.

Do you have a percentage of success for your plan?

[Cyberyeti]

pescetom, on 2026-March-17, 07:25, said:

Fixed thanks, forgot the pass.

Do you have a percentage of success for your plan?

32 cases:

5-0 2 cases I think OK onside, but may depend on the club break also
4-1 10 cases, all offside fail (unless you can trump coup), all onside make
3-2 K10, KJ, J10, Kx(2) onside make plus all HHx and KJ10(7)

I think you're around 18/32 for that line

[pescetom]

Cyberyeti, on 2026-March-17, 08:40, said:

32 cases:

5-0 2 cases I think OK onside, but may depend on the club break also
4-1 10 cases, all offside fail (unless you can trump coup), all onside make
3-2 K10, KJ, J10, Kx(2) onside make plus all HHx and KJ10(7)

I think you're around 18/32 for that line

Kudos if you could work that out at the table (maybe if I had known bridge exists when 15 years old).
I would only have guessed about 50%, but tried it anyway.

As the cards lie, it fails, but a more unexpected solution will succeed.

[Cyberyeti]

pescetom, on 2026-March-17, 13:24, said:

Kudos if you could work that out at the table (maybe if I had known bridge exists when 15 years old).
I would only have guessed about 50%, but tried it anyway.

As the cards lie, it fails, but a more unexpected solution will succeed.

Trying to think if it's best line, I was just calculating the odds of the stated line

[pescetom]

Here is the actual layout, which may stimulate thought.

MP

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[Cyberyeti]

Never getting this right:

AD, KD ditching club, D ruff, CQ to K, D ruff, CA, C to dummy and crash 4 rounds of hearts through S. Requires C 3-3, D 4-4 for a start so poor odds

[pescetom]

 Cyberyeti, on 2026-March-18, 15:43, said:

Never getting this right:

AD, KD ditching club, D ruff, CQ to K, D ruff, CA, C to dummy and crash 4 rounds of hearts through S. Requires C 3-3, D 4-4 for a start so poor odds

Not sure that even works: can't South ruff the 4th heart with T?
But there is a more courageous variant of this that works neatly.

[Cyberyeti]

pescetom, on 2026-March-18, 16:07, said:

Not sure that even works: can't South ruff the 4th heart with T?
But there is a more courageous variant of this that works neatly.

Sorry, I forgot who had 4 clubs, there are 2 lines that work, you can pitch a heart on the diamond and cash 3 hearts earlier then you come down to ♠AQ9 and lead anything off the dummy, just beating the card played on your right.

The one your alluding to is to ignore the fact that the second diamond is the K, and ruff 3 diamonds, leaving yourself with ♠AQ and a winning heart. LHO has 3 spades, RHO 2 spades and a heart, at which point the top heart does the business.

[pescetom]

 Cyberyeti, on 2026-March-19, 04:36, said:

The one your alluding to is to ignore the fact that the second diamond is the K, and ruff 3 diamonds, leaving yourself with ♠AQ and a winning heart. LHO has 3 spades, RHO 2 spades and a heart, at which point the top heart does the business.

That's the one I liked, reduce count by ruffing diamonds King and 2 more and then throw the hearts Ace to the wolves too. Basically a trump coup although I don't know if it could be spotted at table.

[mikeh]

pescetom, on 2026-March-19, 06:50, said:

That's the one I liked, reduce count by ruffing diamonds King and 2 more and then throw the hearts Ace to the wolves too. Basically a trump coup although I don't know if it could be spotted at table.

‘Could be spotted’ is resulting. Why on earth play this line? I think you’d need to have seen south’s trump holding to adopt that line of play.

[Cyberyeti]

mikeh, on 2026-March-19, 08:17, said:

‘Could be spotted’ is resulting. Why on earth play this line? I think you’d need to have seen south’s trump holding to adopt that line of play.

Don't need to see the holding, any 3 will do, as will any 3 including the K the other side, but yes, you're never playing for this.