helene_t, on Oct 6 2007, 08:52 PM, said:
Stupid question: I can speculate on a number of reasons for playing a diamond. I suppose the clue is that you need to break EW's communication?
Yes.
At lots of tables the play was spade lead ruffed, club towards dummy ruffed, diamond over, club ruffed one off.
In order to prevent this, you either play a diamond at trick 2 or discard your diamond at trick 1 (I much prefer this line, it would cause a lot more amusement at the table, especially if you pretend to look surprised when it's not a heart...)
Now you win the next trick - whatever it is - an play a club towards dummy. If it is ruffed, you will need the remaining hearts 1-1. (If it is ruffed on your right, you'll be off).
Quote
I think its a lot tougher to spot the winning play if you are sitting at the table than it is looking at all 4 hands on vugraph. I don't agree that it is the correct one though
It's certainly easier to spot when you are presented it as a problem, because you remember to stop and think 'what can go wrong'
But it's definitely the right line. One you decide that the right conceptual line is to take the heart finesse and hope clubs play for 1 loser i.e. use the CA as an entry to take the finesse, it is zero cost to make this play. There is no layout on which it costs, compared to ruffing and playing a club at once, and this is layout on which it gains. Therefore it must be right.
[You can argue that an alternative line is to lay down the HA at trick two playing for singleton HK or a favourable club lie, but I'm pretty certain that is a worse line]
What is interesting is not just how many people went off - and as is mentioned, about half got the two of spades lead which should raise alarm bells - but that the people who went off included Rodwell, who is
i) arguably one of the world's best declarer players
ii) at the end of a vital RR match in which so far they'd had a very good card
The only pair to make 5Hx on a spade lead were one of the australians, thoughI don't know if they found the safety play or did something different.
3♠ P 4♠ 5♥
P P x all pass