[Fluffy]

Scoring: IMP

E - S - W - N
1♠-X-ps-2♦
ps-2NT-ps-3NT
ps-ps-ps

---

Lead is ♠8, ducked.


a heart to ♥Q will hold, RHO will cover ♥J. RHO's ♦J will drop under ♦A if you play it.

[wclass___]

♥ J-A
♣ A
♣ Q
♦ A
♦ duck
et cetera

[kenrexford]

If you hook the heart at trick two, you have a route to 9 tricks whenever Opener has Kx in hearts. Hook the heart Queen, play the heart Ace. When the heart K drops, you have an easy entry back to dummy with the heart Jack. You would then be able to win three clubs, three hearts, two spades, and a diamond.

If the heart King is protected but third, or is the heart 10 is to the left (and drops), you can then revert back to diamonds instead (the opponents will only be able to win a spade, two diamonds, and a heart before you win your ninth). You need Opener to have six spades and honor doubleton in diamonds.

The line of playing the heart Ace first wins when Opener has Kx in hearts and either only five spades OR three diamonds.

The line of playing the heart Ace first loses when Opener has K10xx in hearts. He will then be able to win two hearts, a spade, and a diamond, and you will have to give up another diamond before you enjoy your own fourth diamond and club.

I'm not sure which line is better, but my instinct says that the heart Queen, Ace increases my chances.

[gnasher]

If you take a heart finesse and then play on diamonds, and spades are 5-3, they will duck another spade to keep communication to the East hand. Eventually they'll take three spades and two diamonds. Hence playing on diamonds works only when RHO has six spades and two diamonds.

If you take a heart finesse, cash the ace of hearts and then play on diamonds, you also lose when the hearts are 10xx-Kxx, because you've created a heart entry to the East hand.

I would play a heart to the queen, unblock the clubs, and duck a heart. That works when RHO has ♥Kx or Kxx

This post has been edited by gnasher: 2009-June-16, 02:22

[se12sam]

Win in dummy, finesse the ♥Q and play ♣Q from hand. Good defenders will most likely signal count on this to each other.

- If there is adequate reason to believe East has odd # of clubs, we can play East to have 5-3-2-3. Continue by cashing ♣A, then play ♦10. West wins and plays a spade. If East is indeed 5-3-2-3, he has to duck this trick (otherwise it is easy to set up the 4th diamond by conceding to west later). Now cash the ♣K, play a low diamond to the ♦A and exit with the ♠Q. This also works if East started with 5-4-1-3.
- If East shows even # of clubs, it might be better to simply cash the ♥A and hope the ♥K falls on this trick.

[Phil]

This might be a good time to ask what the opponents lead from three small in their bid suit that is not raised.

[kenrexford]

gnasher, on Jun 16 2009, 03:21 AM, said:

If you take a heart finesse and then play on diamonds, and spades are 5-3, they will duck another spade to keep communication to the East hand. Eventually they'll take three spades and two diamonds. Hence playing on diamonds works only when RHO has six spades and two diamonds.

If you take a heart finesse, cash the ace of hearts and then play on diamonds, you also lose when the hearts are 10xx-Kxx, because you've created a heart entry to the East hand.

I would play a heart to the queen, unblock the clubs, and duck a heart. That works when RHO has ♥Kx or Kxx

Oh yeah.


Let's see. If Opener has the problem hand of Kxx in hearts, but has the hand where the alternative line works, he must have 6322 shape. Specific hand might be ♠Axxxxx ♥Kxx ♦Kx ♣Jx. Plausible.

Responder would then have 2335 shape. Again, plausible.

Boy, just not sure here.

[Fluffy]

Phil, on Jun 16 2009, 03:49 PM, said:

This might be a good time to ask what the opponents lead from three small in their bid suit that is not raised.

Indeed it would had been, I cannot tell you. Spades were 6-2 on this hand but I think they didn't had to be.

[Fluffy]

---

[gnasher]

Unlucky for some.

[Fluffy]

but if west covers with ♥10 can you still make 9 tricks?

[gnasher]

Good point. No, I can't.

[Fluffy]

I realised this when posting the hand, I also though that running ♥9 was best, now best seems to run ♥8 hehe.

[nige1]

Fluffy, on Jun 19 2009, 11:20 AM, said:

---- -- (1♠) _X
(_P) 2♦ (_P) 2N
(_P) 3N AP
Lead is ♠8, ducked. A heart to ♥Q will hold, RHO will cover ♥J. RHO's ♦J will drop under ♦A if you play it.

---

As the cards lie, declarer can't succeed against best defence but the cunning line proposed by Gnasher and Fluffy does seem to have reasonable practical chances: ♠K, successfully finesse ♥Q, cash ♣AQ, and run ♥8 unless covered.