[jallerton]

---

IMPs. Partner leads ♥8, you win the ace and declarer follows with the 6. What do you play at trick 2 and why?

[Fluffy]

hearts 3-1 is odd, for partner to pass the double, and for declarer to play the 6 from K96.

If declarer is 1327 it is mandatory that partner underleads ♦A for us to score 3 heart tricks so ♥10 would be the right play if he has singleton.

Now if partner has ♥K98 things are harder, now declarer could have ♦Axxx and we have to play a trump to avoid 2 ruffs in dummy if partner doesn't have a club higher than the 7.


Lets see, declarer having ♠x♥K96♦Jx ♣AKQ10xxx doesn´t look like a 5♣ bid to me, ♠x ♥x ♦Axxx ♣AKQ1098x on the other hand is more like it, so I will play a trump back.

[JLOGIC]

Fluffy, on 2011-November-23, 16:23, said:

♠x ♥x ♦Axxx ♣AKQ1098x on the other hand is more like it, so I will play a trump back.

How does a trump back gain if he has that hand?

[gnasher]

JLOGIC, on 2011-November-23, 16:41, said:

How does a trump back gain if he has that hand?

Perhaps I'm missing something, but it appears to hold him to seven clubs, two diamonds, and one other trick. Even if declarer has ♦9, I don't think he can manage a guard squeeze, because of the diamond blockage.

[JLOGIC]

gnasher, on 2011-November-23, 17:11, said:

Perhaps I'm missing something, but it appears to hold him to seven clubs, two diamonds, and one other trick. Even if declarer has ♦9, I don't think he can manage a guard squeeze, because of the diamond blockage.

Diamond to king, heart ruff, diamond diamond ruff, heart ruff, pull trump, spade.

[Fluffy]

I didn't see the strip, but there are other lie outs where a trump helps, like declarer having ♠A and partner either ♦A or ♣A

[JLOGIC]

Yeah I agree that a trump is right, I don't see an alternative... I was just tryin to pull a gnasher and point out your example was wrong lol (jk gnasher!).

I think it's strange that you think partner having Kxx of hearts is strange, surely if he had a stiff heart he would have ripped 5C himself, and his pass was inviting us to bid, or should I be assuming that we are not in a forcing pass, and that double would have encouraged us to bid? I have never played 2/1 not GF, I would have guessed that we are in a force over a 5 level jump.

[JLOGIC]

Oh I'm dumb, the alternative is to play a spade back and get a trump promotion if declarer has x x Axxx AKT9xxx (with the same strip being about to occur) lol @ me.

I think this problem might come down to what we can expect from the pass of 5C, jallerton can you elaborate on whether we were in a force? Sorry if this is obvious/standard, I literally don't know how to play 2/1 non gf.

[benlessard]

Declarer is favorite to be 1147 IMO so I return trumps. In light of East hand i assume the pass was forcing.

[quiddity]

No need for a trump promo. Spade to partner, trump back.

[JLOGIC]

quiddity, on 2011-November-24, 00:29, said:

No need for a trump promo. Spade to partner, trump back.

huh

[dwar0123]

JLOGIC, on 2011-November-24, 00:37, said:

huh

As best as I can figure, that disarms your stated line of play of

Quote

Diamond to king, heart ruff, diamond diamond ruff, heart ruff, pull trump, spade.

While preventing 2 diamond ruffs and still leaving the K♠ dead(ruffed if pulled before trump and inaccessible if ruffing a diamond)

[JLOGIC]

dwar0123, on 2011-November-24, 02:01, said:

As best as I can figure, that disarms your stated line of play of

While preventing 2 diamond ruffs and still leaving the K♠ dead(ruffed if pulled before trump and inaccessible if ruffing a diamond)

[gnasher]

Ok, I'm going to stick my head above the parapet. If we play a spade to the ace and partner plays a trump back, how does declarer make when he's 1147?

[Antrax]

[edited nonsense out]

[phil_20686]

gnasher, on 2011-November-24, 08:20, said:

Ok, I'm going to stick my head above the parapet. If we play a spade to the ace and partner plays a trump back, how does declarer make when he's 1147?

Well - he could have the diamond J.

[jallerton]

JLOGIC, on 2011-November-23, 18:23, said:

I think this problem might come down to what we can expect from the pass of 5C, jallerton can you elaborate on whether we were in a force? Sorry if this is obvious/standard, I literally don't know how to play 2/1 non gf.

This was an Acol sequence. 2♥ was forcing to 2♠ so partner's pass was non-forcing. If partner had doubled 5♣ that would have been penalties. If anyone doesn't like the double they should pretend that this is a defensive problem against 5♣ undoubled!

[jallerton]

This was the full deal.

---

The winning defence is indeed to play a spade to partner's ace and for partner to play a trump back. Whilst it's true to say that I spotted this at the table, I have to admit that I was the declarer which made it somewhat easier! In practice a trump was played at trick 2 and I followed the line suggested by Justin.

It was good teamwork by BBO forum posters to come up with the correct line of defence, but I'd have been very impressed if my opponents had found the winning defence at the table.

Interestingly, as Andy hints, had the ♦10 been swapped with ♦2, the contract could still have been made even on the recommended defence. It's a pretty ending. After a spade to the ace and a trump back, declarer runs the trumps without attempting a ruff in dummy. In the 4-card end position, West has to hold on to two spades so can only keep two red cards. If he bares ♦J his partner is exposed to a 2nd round diamond finesse. Alternatively, if he keeps 2 diamonds he has to abandon hearts. Now ♦ to the K, ♠K squeezes East in the red suits.

[Fluffy]

Just a rant, at the level I use to play I have more chances of defeating this by playing a trump back, than playing a spade, because the add of my partner messing the trump switch, or declarer the heart ruff out are pretty big.