[Wackojack]

{comments}

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1. Q ♣ lead to Ace
2. small ♥ to Q

What next?

[MrAce]

Wackojack, on 2017-December-19, 16:10, said:

http://www.bridgebas...CCJ%7Cmc%7C9%7C

1. Q ♣ lead to Ace
2. small ♥ to Q

What next?

Scoring method helps

[mcphee]

My assumption is RHO has 5C and quite possibly a stiff A or K of D. I can not afford to lead a S to the 10, so its the A. I hope it wins cash trumps to get a count. It is looking like LHO may have 3S.

[Wackojack]

Imps

[johnu]

What are the opponents lead conventions? Initially it looks like East is leading from shortness, but the ♣10 gives another story since with ♣K10x(x)(x) and looking at ♣J98x in dummy, who is going to play the 10 since that looks to be a sure winner? So it feels like East has lead from ♣KQxx(x) along with with an expected 7 diamonds. A spade void is a possibility.

I don't want to commit to a spade guess until later, so I'm going to lead ♦Q from dummy to establish an entry to North. I can afford to lose a diamond, club, and club ruff if I guess the spades later, and will likely have a complete count on the distribution.

[relknes]

Next I call the director, as North has 14 cards?

[MrAce]

Wackojack, on 2017-December-20, 11:18, said:

Imps

Thanks but is it my browser or not I have no idea I am having hard time to read the hands (too small). But if I am not wrong, North has 14 cards, no?

[Wackojack]

Really sorry I don't know how that happened.

As far as aware East was playing standard leads. and fwiiw udca carding

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1. Q♣ 6 10 Ace
2. Q♥ 8 3 5

Next?
I was North and East-West opps were competent

We were playing saved viewgraph hands.
North -Souths were Hamman/Zia and Helness/Helgemo
East- Wests were Multon/Zimmermann and Nickell/Katz

[Zelandakh]

Wackojack, on 2017-December-20, 18:28, said:

We were playing saved viewgraph hands.
North -Souths were Hamman/Zia and Helness/Helgemo
East- Wests were Multon/Zimmermann and Nickell/Katz

Except that in the original Nickell passed with the East hand and Multon opened 1♦.

What disturbs me a little is the way you phrased the OP here. Is one logical line not to start with ♥AK under the assumption that Opener does not hold ♠Q?

[Wackojack]

Zelandakh, on 2017-December-20, 19:47, said:

Except that in the original Nickell passed with the East hand and Multon opened 1♦.

What disturbs me a little is the way you phrased the OP here. Is one logical line not to start with ♥AK under the assumption that Opener does not hold ♠Q?

Are you saying this is the best line then? Or are you saying this is another line that should not be ruled out and I should just have given the opening lead and no more? Yes perhaps it would have been better if I had done this.

It may be giving away information to say what they did on viewgraph, I am asking for the considered best line after the 4♦ opening bid at my BBO table.

[Zelandakh]

Wackojack, on 2017-December-21, 05:03, said:

Are you saying this is the best line then? Or are you saying this is another line that should not be ruled out and I should just have given the opening lead and no more? Yes perhaps it would have been better if I had done this.

It may be giving away information to say what they did on viewgraph, I am asking for the considered best line after the 4♦ opening bid at my BBO table.

I am not really qualified to say if it is the best line but it is certainly a line I like after the 4♦ opening as it simplifies the play greatly. I would not try it after a 1♦ opening but in that case we would also not be in 4♥.

[nige1]

Wackojack, on 2017-December-20, 18:28, said:

As far as aware East was playing standard leads. and fwiiw udca carding
1. Q♣ 6 10 Ace
2. Q♥ 8 3 5
I was North and East-West opps were competent
We were playing saved viewgraph hands.
North -Souths were Hamman/Zia and Helness/Helgemo
East- Wests were Multon/Zimmermann and Nickell/Katz

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With 3 ♣ tricks 5+ ♥ tricks, we only need to be careful with trumps.
JohnU points out that RHO seems to have 4 ♣s. He also has least 7 ♦s, so we should probably start with ♠K, intending to play LHO for ♠ length, making at least 11 tricks.

[Wackojack]

nige1, on 2017-December-22, 12:27, said:

With 3 ♣ tricks 5+ ♥ tricks, we only need to be careful with trumps.
JohnU points out that RHO seems to have 4 ♣s. He also has least 7 ♦s, so we should probably start with ♠K, intending to play LHO for ♠ length, making at least 11 tricks.

If East has 7♦ +4♣ and you next lead K♠Then:
With 0274 East ruffs and you cannot get back to hand to take ♠ finesse so 1 down.
With 1174 East follows. What next? Looks like you have to play another spade and take the known? finesse provided you were right about 7-4. East ruffs and you make 10 tricks
2074 is excluded if you have already played a ♥ at trick 2.

[nige1]

Wackojack, on 2017-December-22, 16:50, said:

If East has 7♦ +4♣ and you next lead K♠Then:
With 0274 East ruffs and you cannot get back to hand to take ♠ finesse so 1 down.
With 1174 East follows. What next? Looks like you have to play another spade and take the known? finesse provided you were right about 7-4. East ruffs and you make 10 tricks
2074 is excluded if you have already played a ♥ at trick 2.

Sorry, I'd forgotton what suit was trumps again

[nige1]

Wackojack, on 2017-December-19, 16:10, said:

http://www.bridgebas...CCJ%7Cmc%7C9%7C
1. Q ♣ lead to Ace
2. small ♥ to Q
What next?

After ♣A, ♥Q, ♠A ruffed by East, ♦A, ♦K ruffed by North:

Can you recover by: Cashing ♥AKJ discarding 3♠s. Then exiting in ♣s

This seems to work even if you misguess ♦s

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[Zelandakh]

nige1, on 2017-December-22, 21:04, said:

After ♣A, ♥Q, ♠A ruffed by East, ♦A, ♦K ruffed by North:

And if East underleads the ♦ at T4 and West provides a second ♠ ruff?

[Wackojack]

Zelandakh, on 2017-December-23, 03:41, said:

And if East underleads the ♦ at T4 and West provides a second ♠ ruff?

That would be a killer if East were 0373 and not 74 in the minors as assumed.

[Zelandakh]

Wackojack, on 2017-December-23, 05:41, said:

That would be a killer if East were 0373 and not 74 in the minors as assumed.

A distribution all the more annoying when we could have picked the trumps up by starting with ♥A....

[Fluffy]

I followed your line, and you had 11 top tricks after ruffing out ♦K. 3 clubs, 1 spade, 6 hearts, 1♦. Discarding dummy's clubs was a poor play.

About the general play, I have no idea, what is Gib leading queen from? if it is doubleton or singleton I like ♣A, ♥Q, ♦Q to cut their communication, you can afford a club ruff as long as you can pitch your spades on the clubs.