[mikeh]

We played the Zonal Finals of the Canadian Team Championships over the weekend. This used to be a strong(ish) event, but declining interest has reduced the size and strength of the field. This weekend featured a number of slam decisions, of varying degrees of difficulty.

Neither team in our match managed to avoid 6N after N transferred to spades and bid 3♣. The opening lead was a low heart.

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[Echognome]

Well we know the opening leader doesn't have ♠AK. We can either play for 3-3 clubs or play for RHO to have a spade honor and 4+♣ and to not hop. The idea I have in mind is to win ♥A and lead the ♠T off of dummy. If RHO doesn't pop A or K and lefty wins his presumed one honor, then they have to return a spade now to defeat. Otherwise i can use the ♠J in hand as one menace and the long club as the other. To make this as difficult as possible for the defense, I would want to lead from dummy at trick 2. Not sure if this is better than the legitimate line.

[kenrexford]

If I am going to dance on this one, I think I'll do a little bit of prep work.

I'll win the heart Jack in hand with the Queen and "finesse" the diamond Jack. The second diamond (10) to the King, and then spade Queen off of dummy. Something like that.

[pclayton]

I'll start with the ♠Q off the board immediately. I've advertised 2 spades and I'd like RHO to believe I have AJ.

Obviously LHO doesn't have the ♠AK, but RHO would have doubled for a spade lead if he had it. I'm 100% confident the spades are split.

LHO may even duck the spade.

Continuations are as Gnome describes. I'll still get 3-3 clubs or the squeeze on RHO with 4 clubs and the missing spade if they don't cash.

If LHO wins the spade, I hope he knows about Fred's favorite card combo because thats what I want him to think I have.

[inquiry]

HAving survived a ♠ lead, we have 12 tricks if clubs are 3-3 or if EAST has with four or more clubs and also has the spade AK (he will be troubled after 8 red cards.. he can't keep 4♣ and the spade AK, nor 4♣ a top spade and a ♥.(See next diagram)

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Here, the diamond A will crush East. But sadly, this hand, like the hand with WEST having the spade AK is not possible. Surely EAST would have made a lightner double when holding AK of spades.

Thus, the question is can we make with ♣4-2 and the spade honors split? I think not. And is some psychological ploy better than just playing for 3-3 clubs?

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Well, since you are certain spade honors are split (no spade King lead, no lightner double) you could try forget about the possible 3-3 split and play on spades in the hopes they win and don't continue spades. The main problem is that they know you only have two spades, so spade to the JACK might easily get spade back if it lost, and spade to the TEN might get one back also.

I am not willing to give up on the small chance clubs are 3-3 to try something funky in spades. A number of thoughts come to mind, but even if you survive a spade play without a spade return, you still need a 4 clubs in the hand with the remaining spade honor. I think i will stick with 3-3♣, playing diamonds first, then hearts (win first heart with ACE).

[gwnn]

han yelled at me last time i tried to be a genius. i will just play for 3-3.

[cherdano]

I go for the misdefense on this one, ♥A and spade to the J.

[Echognome]

cherdano, on Feb 18 2008, 11:50 AM, said:

I go for the misdefense on this one, ♥A and spade to the J.

Had a long discussion with Phil about the best psychological play. Small spade to the J is the most normal looking of all, but completely pointless as it basically gains to nothing. Isn't the idea to keep the ♠J as a menace in hand against RHO? If RHO pops, then it doesn't matter if we play small spade or the J.

[Echognome]

inquiry, on Feb 18 2008, 08:46 AM, said:

Well, since you are certain spade honors are split (no spade King lead, no lightner double) you could try forget about the possible 3-3 split and play on spades in the hopes they win and don't continue spades. The main problem is that they know you only have two spades, so spade to the JACK might easily get spade back if it lost, and spade to the TEN might get one back also.

Spade to the T is a possible play. The hope is to get West to hop K and not return a spade, thus leaving East to guard both spades and clubs. However, if West holds the A, he's not likely to hop and East will win and if you get your hope of him not returning the suit, then you will need west to hold the clubs. I think it's a possible line, but still a strange play no matter what we're holding.

Of course against good defenders, they should be suspicious about any play other than small to the J. Any other Ax or Kx holding would make any other play strange to say the least.

Maybe against those good defenders, we should just go for the 3-3 split rather than subterfuge?

I feel against less than top class defenders, leading the ♠T from dummy looks normal enough.

[cherdano]

Echognome, on Feb 18 2008, 02:37 PM, said:

cherdano, on Feb 18 2008, 11:50 AM, said:

I go for the misdefense on this one, ♥A and spade to the J.

Had a long discussion with Phil about the best psychological play. Small spade to the J is the most normal looking of all, but completely pointless as it basically gains to nothing. Isn't the idea to keep the ♠J as a menace in hand against RHO? If RHO pops, then it doesn't matter if we play small spade or the J.

Oops yes, I guess I will run the T then.

[Echognome]

What do people think about small spade to the Q?

If west has the K there's a chance he will pop and not return the suit.

If east has the K, then we're making it look like we have Ax and were just testing if the K was onside before releasing the spades. Even if west doesn't pop with K, then east may think we have Kx and are just building our trick or trying for a fork.

[han]

gwnn, on Feb 18 2008, 02:45 PM, said:

han yelled at me last time i tried to be a genius. i will just play for 3-3.

Huh? I didn't yell.

I just told you to STOP BEING A F*CKING GENIUS!!!

[han]

I think this is really dangerous against good opponents. They presumably know that we have exactly two spades, so whatever we play, there is nothing to prevent them from playing a spade back.. Does it really make sense for us to a spade to dummy given any holding? RHO will certainly be very surprised to win with the king.

I'm going for the 3-3 split.

[mikeh]

On the actual hand, playing on spades assures the contract since spades were 5-1, with the stiff A on your right, and with LHO holding 4 ♣s!

I won the heart in dummy and cashed the ♦K, with LHO showing out! I think that I should now have played a diamond to the 10 and led a spade to the 10, but I didn't want to go down in a cold contract if clubs proved to be 3-3. And I retained a chance in the endgame if I felt that LHO held 4 clubs and the ♠A: he'd have to throw the spade A away... which isn't that tough a play, but...

As it is, LHO who is a good friend of mine and a fine player had had too much wine over dinner and got distracted and pitched a club from a 4 card holding! Both teams were, by then, assured of qualifying so maybe that excuses him to some extent (but we get the travel subsidy )