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Bridge Master Level 1 A-23

#1 User is offline   AL78 

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Posted 2024-July-13, 14:57

This is a beginner level hand where the objective is purely to make the contract. It is a fundamental hold-up play where you have to play for either the spades 4-4 or if West has longer spades, hold up twice and hope East has the A. When East wins, he has no spades left and plays a club and you are expected to avoid the finesse because you go down if it loses.

This is all good at IMPs but just out of interest, what do you think is the correct play at MPs after East wins and switches to a club? If this was a real hand that isn't loaded where you know the finesse fails, do you go for the finesse and overtricks risking going down in a cold contract if it fails? This situation is not uncommon at the table. Is the answer the same if the field has a highly variable standard from novice to expert or if the field is at your level or better?
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#2 User is offline   johnu 

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Posted 2024-July-13, 23:14

View PostAL78, on 2024-July-13, 14:57, said:

This is a beginner level hand where the objective is purely to make the contract. It is a fundamental hold-up play where you have to play for either the spades 4-4 or if West has longer spades, hold up twice and hope East has the A. When East wins, he has no spades left and plays a club and you are expected to avoid the finesse because you go down if it loses.

This is all good at IMPs but just out of interest, what do you think is the correct play at MPs after East wins and switches to a club? If this was a real hand that isn't loaded where you know the finesse fails, do you go for the finesse and overtricks risking going down in a cold contract if it fails? This situation is not uncommon at the table. Is the answer the same if the field has a highly variable standard from novice to expert or if the field is at your level or better?

Looks like a very standard 3NT that everybody should get to. In a weak field, some probably won't but it's likely to be infrequently random.

In terms of vacant spaces with West having a likely 8 vacant spaces (with an assumed 5 cards in spades) and East having a likely 10 vacant spaces (with an assumed 3 cards in spades), the club finesse is almost 56%.
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