[Fluffy]

Scoring: IMP

S - W - N - E
  -  -  -  ps-2♥
2NT-ps-3♥*-ps
3♠-ps-4♠-ps
ps-ps

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Lead is ♥2.

[655321]

I like the spade finesse.

If East has the ♣K I think we are down, so we need East to have a card (♠K, ♦A, ♦Q) to go along with his hearts.

Stripping the hearts, pitching a ♦ and endplaying West with the ♠K still does not guarantee the contract - perhaps he can exit a ♣ away from the King; now, if we play 3 rounds of clubs East may be able to win, or if we run the ♦ten West wins the Q and plays another club.

Taking the spade finesse makes when the K is onside, and also allows us to guess diamonds to make some of the time when East has a diamond card.

[pclayton]

Jlall, on Feb 2 2008, 06:46 AM, said:

agree with ruff and hook a spade.

Agree. Don't commit to what you need to pitch until you test clubs.

[FrancesHinden]

There's an alternative line if West has the two black kings and only two trumps:
ruff the lead
trump to the ace
ace of hearts (discarding a CLUB)
heart ruff
trump

that end plays him. A club away from the king is fatal, so he's going to play a diamond. best defence (if East has the Q) is to led me win that with the jack, or to cover the 10 with the Queen and now I'm stuck unless East started with precisely Qx, because I can't stop East gaining the lead to play a club through.

So it's not a very successful alternative unless West has everything - the SK, the CK and the DAQ

[jdonn]

FrancesHinden, on Feb 2 2008, 12:08 PM, said:

There's an alternative line if West has the two black kings and only two trumps:
ruff the lead
trump to the ace
ace of hearts (discarding a CLUB)
heart ruff
trump

that end plays him. A club away from the king is fatal, so he's going to play a diamond. best defence (if East has the Q) is to led me win that with the jack, or to cover the 10 with the Queen and now I'm stuck unless East started with precisely Qx, because I can't stop East gaining the lead to play a club through.

So it's not a very successful alternative unless West has everything - the SK, the CK and the DAQ

I think it's better than you give it credit for. It's not easy for east to withhold the diamond queen when west leads one, plus if you happen to drop the spade king you have done the right thing outright aside from the later endplay chances.

I haven't convinced myself it's better than the spade finesse, just that it's better than you thought.

[FrancesHinden]

<deleted>

[Fluffy]

one declarer discarded a club, ruffed a heart, cashed spade ace, ruffed a heart and gave away the trump.

---

now a diamond to the ace, and east played another diamond, but he guessed right to endplay west again with ♦Q.

with a spade finese you need a later guess in diamonds.

Given that you cannot cope to ♠3-0 playing spade ace is just 'half' as good as the finese, I don't know if the endplay gain outwaights the loss or not.

[Cascade]

Fluffy, on Feb 4 2008, 11:22 AM, said:

Given that you cannot cope to ♠3-0 playing spade ace is just 'half' as good as the finese, I don't know if the endplay gain outwaights the loss or not.

Its better than that as West is more likely to have two spades than East.