[Winstonm]

Scoring: IMP

You are fighting it out for a strong finish in the Tulsa Regional Flight A Swiss when you and partner stumble your way with an inelegant auction to 6S. Now, all you have to do is make 12 tricks. LHO leads the 4 of hearts.

---

[mike777]

Winstonm, on Aug 18 2005, 11:52 PM, said:

Scoring: IMP

You are fighting it out for a strong finish in the Tulsa Regional Flight A Swiss when you and partner stumble your way with an inelegant auction to 6S. Now, all you have to do is make 12 tricks. LHO leads the 4 of hearts.

---

Is this how you win a Flight A swiss, bid crappy, and play the heck out of the hands?

Just asking but on both of these hands I would be in 3nt.

[Winstonm]

mike777, on Aug 19 2005, 12:14 AM, said:

Winstonm, on Aug 18 2005, 11:52 PM, said:

Scoring: IMP

You are fighting it out for a strong finish in the Tulsa Regional Flight A Swiss when you and partner stumble your way with an inelegant auction to 6S.  Now, all you have to do is make 12 tricks.  LHO leads the 4 of hearts.

---

Is this how you win a Flight A swiss, bid crappy, and play the heck out of the hands?

Just asking but on both of these hands I would be in 3nt.

Nah....you have to bid better than this....this only gets your the runner-up spot.

[PMetsch]

If I play a club to dummy and take a ♠ finessse, then I am badly placed if it looses and RHO plays a ♣. So I try a spade to the jack at trick two. If RHO wins, then I try to drop a doubleton ♣Q or take a ♦finesse. If LHO wins and returns a ♦, then I must decide if I take a ♦finesse or a ♣finesse.

[Free]

I wonder where MisIry gets you on these hands...

This is one of those hands where you have different kinds of lines. I'd just hope for the ♦ finesse to be on and give away the ♠Q... I can't risk both finesses since opps might continue ♣ and destroy my entry for the ♥s. So small to ♠J...

[Winstonm]

Small to the Jack wins. When you lead a second spade from dummy, RHO shows out. Now what?

[PMetsch]

Need to endplay west, to do so requires 8 tricks outside spades. So rise with the A and quess what west hand is most likely:

Qxxxx=xxxx=xx=xx : ♣A, ♦Q, ♦A, ♣K, 3♥
Qxxxx=xxx=xx=xxx : ♣A, ♦Q, ♦A, ♣K, 2♥, ♣ruff
Qxxxx=xxxx=x=xxx : ♦A, ♣A, 3♥, ♣K, ♣ruff
Qxxxx=xxx=x=Qxxx : ♦A, ♣J, 2♥, ♣A, ♣K, ♣ruff

I like to play either option 1 or 2 depending on heart carding of opps. If I can't draw any conlusions from the heart play, then I choose option 2.

[pclayton]

I don't think I'm playing small to the J♠. If I diamond comes back, I'm badly placed. I much prefer club to the Ace, and a diamond to the Q. I assume this wins.

Catching up with the thread, I then play a spade to the Jack and a spade up. RHO shows out apparently.

Uh, hate to ask, but we need to know LHO's heart spot lead.

If LHO is 5=3=2=3, we need to cash exactly 2 more hearts, diamond to hand, club AK and ruff (don't need to hook the club). Now, elegantly exit a diamond. LHO has the joy of ruffing her partner's trick and being endplayed.

If LHO is 5=3=3=2, I don't think I can make it.

If LHO is 5=4=2=2, we need to cash our minor suit winners and exit a low trump.

If LHO is 5=4=1=3, cash the hearts, 2 clubs, ruff club and exit diamond.

5=4=3=1 (I'm regretting not ruffing the 3rd diamond in dummy, nice non-double, buddy ), I don't think we can make it either.

[Winstonm]

Opening lead was the 2. Standard leads, 4th best is the response to your inquiry.

[pclayton]

Winstonm, on Aug 19 2005, 10:26 AM, said:

Opening lead was the 2. Standard leads, 4th best is the response to your inquiry.

Then I will trust RHO's card as true count when I led a club to the board at T2 and will disregard righty's.

[Winstonm]

pclayton, on Aug 19 2005, 01:20 PM, said:

I don't think I'm playing small to the J♠. If I diamond comes back, I'm badly placed. I much prefer club to the Ace, and a diamond to the Q. I assume this wins.

Catching up with the thread, I then play a spade to the Jack and a spade up. RHO shows out apparently.

Uh, hate to ask, but we need to know LHO's heart spot lead.

If LHO is 5=3=2=3, we need to cash exactly 2 more hearts, diamond to hand, club AK and ruff (don't need to hook the club). Now, elegantly exit a diamond. LHO has the joy of ruffing her partner's trick and being endplayed.

If LHO is 5=3=3=2, I don't think I can make it.

If LHO is 5=4=2=2, we need to cash our minor suit winners and exit a low trump.

If LHO is 5=4=1=3, cash the hearts, 2 clubs, ruff club and exit diamond.

5=4=3=1 (I'm regretting not ruffing the 3rd diamond in dummy, nice non-double, buddy  ), I don't think we can make it either.

I think you are right. Diamond finesse early on makes the play easier.

LHO turned out to be 5422, so it was necessary to cash 4 hearts; however, as you pointed out, if he had been 5323 he would have been forced to ruff a losing diamond and be enplayed to boot.

In retrospect, I like this better because really demoralizes the opponents.

In real life, I guessed to play 4 rounds of hearts, my reasoning being that the minors were more likely to be unbalanced and LHO had to hold xx in diamonds, hence more likely I thought to hold also 2 clubs rather than 3.