[661_Pete]

I was confronted with this a few days ago; Pairs MPs, love all:

---

You are in 6♠; the defence having passed throughout. West leads a small diamond to your A. You draw trumps in two rounds, East discarding two small clubs.

What next?

[gszes]

The choice between playing LHO for 4+ clubs and the heart ace OR rho for the heart ace is a simple one. Play rho for the heart ace. Not merely because it is the
higher % play but because playing the other way is so inferior that choosing it looks nefarious or your play is hopeless. It does not hurt to try to find LHO
with QT doubleton of clubs so we can pitch 2 hearts. This extra chance, plus the tendency of opening leaders to plunk down an ace on opening lead, brings us well above 50% playing rho for the heart ace.

[Tramticket]

gszes, on 2019-February-03, 11:25, said:

The choice between playing LHO for 4+ clubs and the heart ace OR rho for the heart ace is a simple one. Play rho for the heart ace. Not merely because it is the
higher % play but because playing the other way is so inferior that choosing it looks nefarious or your play is hopeless. It does not hurt to try to find LHO
with QT doubleton of clubs so we can pitch 2 hearts. This extra chance, plus the tendency of opening leaders to plunk down an ace on opening lead, brings us well above 50% playing rho for the heart ace.

I agree with all of this.

But the two club discards are interesting. Obviously you try clubs first. Say you play the king (both following small) and another club (LHO playing the ten on the second round). Which is more likely? LHO started with QTX(X) or RHO discarded two clubs from QXXX(X)? It might depend on my opinion of the opps.

[nige1]

661_Pete "I was confronted with this a few days ago; Pairs MPs, love all:You are in 6♠; the defence having passed throughout. West leads a small diamond to your A. You draw trumps in two rounds, East discarding two small clubs.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This is the squeeze without the count, mentioned by gszes and tramticket, reduced to its essentials.
But, in the original diagram, G&T seem right that, after checking for ♣QT doubleton , you should lead a ♥ to ♥K.

---

[661_Pete]

What happened. My first thought was, if W had ♥A, he'd have led it against a slam perhaps. But not if he held ♥AQ, surely? I sort of got a fixation that West must hold ♥AQ, so I tried the clubs. Agreed, a poorer chance than ♥ to the K, because not only did I have to win the finesse, the remaining clubs must break 3-2 for my second discard.

I cashed K♣, and played a club to the J, West following low both times. Alas!, East produced the Q, and then compounded my dismay by cashing the A♥. Oh well, lesson learnt! If I'd brought it off, and West had held A♥, it would have been quite a coup and a top, methinks - but it wasn't to be.

At all the other tables where the slam was bid, West obligingly led a ♥, so South didn't even have to think! Bottom for us - and I think I deserved it - though my partner was sympathetic.

[sfi]

661_Pete, on 2019-February-03, 16:41, said:

I cashed K♣, and played a club to the J, West following low both times. Alas!, East produced the Q, and then compounded my dismay by cashing the A♥. Oh well, lesson learnt! If I'd brought it off, and West had held A♥, it would have been quite a coup and a top, methinks - but it wasn't to be.

Once West follows low to two clubs, you need the clubs to have been originally divided Qxx - Txxx. If you were East looking at those clubs in dummy, would you really have discarded two of them?

As TramTicket says, the only interesting position is QTx - xxxx. Even then I would not expect East to pitch clubs, but at least that's conceivable. And if the ten does appear on the second round, you can probably rule out an initial holding of Tx - Qxxxx, since East would definitely not pitch more than one club with that holding.

All in all, stripping the minors and leading a heart to the king looks much better.

[bluechip10]

LHO needs to have exactly QTx in order to set up clubs for two heart pitches. Or you can believe that RHO has the ace of hearts. The chances of the RHO holding the ace of hearts is much greater than the hoped-for club holding. Another clue: most lead an ace at a slam.

Given all that, the RHO pitched two clubs. So, before committing to the hearts, I'd cash the K of clubs and see what falls. Pitching two clubs so early makes no sense.

Decisions, decisions is true. Also, depends on the caliber of the game you're in.

[PhilG007]

nige1, on 2019-February-03, 15:33, said:

661_Pete "I was confronted with this a few days ago; Pairs MPs, love all:You are in 6♠; the defence having passed throughout. West leads a small diamond to your A. You draw trumps in two rounds, East discarding two small clubs.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This is the squeeze without the count, mentioned by gszes and tramticket, reduced to its essentials.
But, in the original diagram, G&T seem right that, after checking for ♣QT doubleton , you should lead a ♥ to ♥K.

---

From the diagram,the slam is doomed. Try as he might,declarer must lose at least two heart tricks

[nige1]

PhilG007, on 2019-February-04, 14:32, said:

From the diagram,the slam is doomed. Try as he might,declarer must lose at least two heart tricks

GIB confirms, at double-dummy: ♦A, FInesse ♣T, ♦K, ♠s squeezing LHO in the round-suits (without the count).
-- If LHO abandons ♣s then finesse and cash ♣s
-- If LHO bares ♥A then discard dummy's small ♣ and concede a ♥.

---

[pescetom]

PhilG007, on 2019-February-04, 14:32, said:

From the diagram,the slam is doomed. Try as he might,declarer must lose at least two heart tricks

South has both 6♠ and 6NT against any defence, at least playing double dummy.

[Caitlynne]

I play the King of clubs followed by a club to the Ace, giving myself the chance to drop the QT doubleton with either opponent. If I don't get this (incredibly) lucky, I play a heart to the King. There is a slightly better than 50% that the Ace will be onside for some players in the West seat would lead an Ace against a slam if they had one.

[Winstonm]

661_Pete, on 2019-February-03, 16:41, said:

What happened. My first thought was, if W had ♥A, he'd have led it against a slam perhaps. But not if he held ♥AQ, surely? I sort of got a fixation that West must hold ♥AQ, so I tried the clubs. Agreed, a poorer chance than ♥ to the K, because not only did I have to win the finesse, the remaining clubs must break 3-2 for my second discard.

I cashed K♣, and played a club to the J, West following low both times. Alas!, East produced the Q, and then compounded my dismay by cashing the A♥. Oh well, lesson learnt! If I'd brought it off, and West had held A♥, it would have been quite a coup and a top, methinks - but it wasn't to be.

At all the other tables where the slam was bid, West obligingly led a ♥, so South didn't even have to think! Bottom for us - and I think I deserved it - though my partner was sympathetic.

There was an old Bols Bridge Tip about reading the discards. http://www.haroldsch....com/Reese3.htm My immediate thought was that the club discards indicated Qxxxx or more likely Q10xxx. With 6, his partner would have led the stiff, and with fewer, he would not discard two clubs.

I think it is right to play the club K - just in case LHO has Q10 doubleton - but if not, I go for the heart ace onside.

[msjennifer]

Sir.EAST will not discard two clubs when he could safely discard two diamonds.So I shall cash the other top diamond cash the the AK of clubs and if the Q10 have not appeared lead a heart hoping east has the ACE.Franklyi ,I can't visualise any other solution.