[nullve]

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West leads the ♦A, gets an encouraging 3 from East and continues with the ♦9 to East's king. East then shifts to the ♣9.

Your plan?

Would be fun to hear from non-experts first.

[DozyDom]

Hum, it's late over here and I've had a few drinks... but aren't we going down on a 4-0 split however we play it? And making if it's a 3-1 split? At least in my current state of mind I'm just gonna let the 9 come round to my ATx on table. Cash the top hearts. Sit back, relax, and doze off while partner points out the obvious line for an overtrick which I haven't noticed.

[Cyberyeti]

Spoiler

You can make against the 4-0 split if the hand is ideal, but I'm not sure you should play for it although the X suggests it might be right. Essentially you have to eliminate all W's other cards, depends how good you think he is and whether he is doubling on ♦A, ♥QJx, ♠KQ and also what E would do with ?xxx(x) void KJ10xxxx, x(x).

[mikeh]

deleted: I missed the double, so thought the 'right' line was going to be very difficult for a non-expert...the double, imo, makes it a lot easier, tho I think an expert 'in the zone' would get it right without the double.

Then I missed the part asking more advanced players not to post right away....I am very sorry

[Tramticket]

Spoiler

East did not open 3♦, but has chosen to then come in at the four-level. I am placing East with a seven-card diamond suit and a four-card spade suit (hence no first-round pre-empt. East also has at least one club and likely two, given west's double. I will assume two - with the nine being the top of a doubleton.

I win the club in hand with the king (since I am playing for clubs 3-2), cash the ace of spades, then lead a trump towards dummy. West presumably splits his honours so I win the king (East shows out?) and ruff a spade back to hand. Now a club to the ten and ruff a third round of spades, finally a club to the ace and ruff the fourth round of spades.

I have now eliminated the other suits. I lead another trump, ducking when West splits his honours.

[Tramticket]

Spoiler

Now tell me that East's actions are based on seven diamonds and four hearts!!?

[mikeh]

Tramticket, on 2018-November-08, 02:50, said:

Spoiler

East did not open 3♦, but has chosen to then come in at the four-level. I am placing East with a seven-card diamond suit and a four-card spade suit (hence no first-round pre-empt. East also has at least one club and likely two, given west's double. I will assume two - with the nine being the top of a doubleton.

I win the club in hand with the king (since I am playing for clubs 3-2), cash the ace of spades, then lead a trump towards dummy. West presumably splits his honours so I win the king (East shows out?) and ruff a spade back to hand. Now a club to the ten and ruff a third round of spades, finally a club to the ace and ruff the fourth round of spades.

I have now eliminated the other suits. I lead another trump, ducking when West splits his honours.

I don’t think your line works. You’ve ruffed too many spades, so are reduced to a stiff A at the stage where you say you lead another trump


The key is to reduce to A9 of trump in hand, with 8xx in dummy, in a 3 card endgame with S on lead. I won’t provide what I think is the line until later. Hope this hint helps.

[nige1]

Spoiler

West leads the ♦A, gets an encouraging 3 from East and
continues with the ♦9 to East's king.
East then shifts to the ♣9.
Your plan? Would be fun to hear from non-experts first.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thank you, Nullve, for an interesting and instructive problem.
Hit Next for a possible solution.
Amusingly, you can strengthen LHO's ♣s to ♣JT98 and still
succeed by ruffing a ♣ in dummy, before the 2nd ♠ ruff.

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[Tramticket]

mikeh, on 2018-November-08, 08:59, said:

I don’t think your line works. You’ve ruffed too many spades, so are reduced to a stiff A at the stage where you say you lead another trump


The key is to reduce to A9 of trump in hand, with 8xx in dummy, in a 3 card endgame with S on lead. I won’t provide what I think is the line until later. Hope this hint helps.

Thanks. Yes, got it.

(I'm on a tablet at the moment, so can't hide answer).

[mikeh]

nige1, on 2018-November-08, 11:17, said:

Spoiler

West leads the ♦A, gets an encouraging 3 from East and
continues with the ♦9 to East's king.
East then shifts to the ♣9.
Your plan? Would be fun to hear from non-experts first.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thank you, Nullve, for an interesting and instructive problem.
Hit Next for a possible solution.
Amusingly, you can strengthen LHO's ♣s to ♣JT98 and still
succeed by ruffing a ♣ in dummy, before the 2nd ♠ ruff.

---

There are a couple of sequences, amounting to the same thing, that get you to the desired end position. Both depend on RHO being 5=0=71, and I am not entirely convinced that rho would not/should not, bid 4S over 4H with that shape. I am very much of the view that West ought not to be doubling unless it is at mps or he has little respect for his opps. In fact, I think that this hand would be made by many good players, if on their game, even without the double. Winning the club cheaply in dummy (and it is fine to win in hand as well), crossing to the spade, and leading a heart, intending to cover whatever LHO plays, is pretty simple at an expert level, even at mps, and clear at imps. The only time it fails is when RHO wins and gives LHO a club ruff. Firstly, the 9 of clubs is an unusual play from any 4 card holding, secondly, RHO would, on that auction, have at most 1 spade, which is (a) improbable given LHO's pass over 1H and (b) likely to engender a spade switch, not a club. Meanwhile, the delayed preempt pretty clearly suggests at least 4 spades, hence 4-0 trump are relatively probable, compared to the very low a priori odds of a 4-0 split.



Good hand.

[Cyberyeti]

I'd have played it slightly differently.

Win the club in hand, A♠, club to 10, spade ruff, club to A, spade ruff, top club and W is now down to trumps only, and the 5th club fixes him, this also works if he has a club less and a spade more, you lead the 4th club, if he pitches the spade you're in the same place, ruff low is no issue, ruff high, you overruff, ruff a 3rd spade and play the 5th club.

[mikeh]

Cyberyeti, on 2018-November-08, 13:14, said:

I'd have played it slightly differently.

Win the club in hand, A♠, club to 10, spade ruff, club to A, spade ruff, top club and W is now down to trumps only, and the 5th club fixes him, this also works if he has a club less and a spade more, you lead the 4th club, if he pitches the spade you're in the same place, ruff low is no issue, ruff high, you overruff, ruff a 3rd spade and play the 5th club.

The problem with this is that it is remotely possible, although very unlikely, that RHO has a trump and will ruff that second round of clubs, and down you go in a cold contract. Now, LHO should not be doubling with, say, KQxx QJ10 Ax Jxxx, and RHO maybe shouldn't be passing then bidding on xxxx x KJ10xxxx x but there is no upside to your line compared to the line of leading a low heart towards dummy early. When one line is 'almost' equivalent to another, but has an additional, if remote, risk attached, it is the wrong line.

[Cyberyeti]

mikeh, on 2018-November-08, 13:23, said:

The problem with this is that it is remotely possible, although very unlikely, that RHO has a trump and will ruff that second round of clubs, and down you go in a cold contract. Now, LHO should not be doubling with, say, KQxx QJ10 Ax Jxxx, and RHO maybe shouldn't be passing then bidding on xxxx x KJ10xxxx x but there is no upside to your line compared to the line of leading a low heart towards dummy early. When one line is 'almost' equivalent to another, but has an additional, if remote, risk attached, it is the wrong line.

OK, it can go down when you make if he has a trump and it's the 7 (the 10 both go down in a cold contract that every beginner makes).

[smerriman]

mikeh, on 2018-November-08, 13:23, said:

but there is no upside to your line compared to the line of leading a low heart towards dummy early.

Isn't the upside that you make the contract if RHO has 4 spades? That is, if you are 100% sure West has all of the trumps, Cyberyeti's line guarantees the contract, while playing a low heart will go down whenever RHO has 4 spades.

So it comes down to how often you think RHO will have a trump vs how often they will have 4 spades and no trump.

[ggwhiz]

I've been grosvenored on a hand like this with a most excellent line of play only to find that the trumps split 2-2.

[smerriman]

One side note - if you do play a low heart towards dummy, and West plays the 7, would it be better to jump up with the King than cover? Would 7 from QJT7 ever remotely be the correct play from West?

[edit] Nevermind, I get mike's point now - if you cover and lose, you still make the contract, so it doesn't really matter.

[mikeh]

Cyberyeti, on 2018-November-08, 13:28, said:

OK, it can go down when you make if he has a trump and it's the 7 (the 10 both go down in a cold contract that every beginner makes).

How does my line go down when RHO has any trump, other than all 4? If RHO wins his stiff trump, which by definition has to be an honour, since if RHO has the 7, LHO will have played an honour and I will have won the King, I'm save unless he has 7 diamonds and 4 clubs, giving LHO at least 7 spades, and values, and yet he passed over 1H. Zero chance.

[nige1]

Cyberyeti's line is clever
Although when RHO is 4072, he can defeat the contract with a 3rd round of ♦ -- a bit double-dummy.

If you're willing to bet the house on LHO holding all 4 trumps, then you can start as above (press Next)

-- If RHO follows to the 2nd club, then continue with Cyberyeti's line.

-- If RHO shows out on the 2nd club, then Cyberyeti's line reverts to MikeH's line.

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[nullve]

nige1, on 2018-November-08, 14:57, said:

Cyberyeti's line is clever
Although when RHO is 4072, he can defeat the contract with a 3rd round of ♦ -- a bit double-dummy.

If you're willing to bet the house on LHO holding all 4 trumps, then you can start as above (press Next)

-- If RHO follows to the 2nd club, then continue with Cyberyeti's line.

-- If RHO shows out on the 2nd club, then Cyberyeti's line reverts to MikeH's line.

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This was also my line at the table. Unfortunately, I was inhabiting the wrong universe:

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