[FrancesHinden]

We lost a 24-board match yesterday against a very poor team. If we hadn't bid any slams at all we would have won comfortably; however we went off in 3 excellent slams which cost just under 40 imps. And lost by 6 (you could argue we shouldn't have bid them, but we were also practising for the trials when you have to bid good slams). Two of them were not difficult play problems, just the lie was vile. This one however, is a gem of a hand & I went off. Can you do better?

Scoring: IMP

2♥ x P 3♥
P 3♠ P 4♠
P 6♣ P 6♠
P P P

---

The 2♥ opening is described as 3-8 HCP, 5 or 6 hearts, fairly random.
Partner's 3♥ showed a game force with a heart control and usually four spades.

LHO leads the 8 of hearts, which can be from either two or three low.
You win in dummy (RHO plays her lowest, which is meaningless as they won't give count or SP here). You play a club to the Ace, on which RHO plays the Jack and LHO the 2.

Plan the play.

[coyot]

Several possibilities:
1) dummy reversal
2) developing clubs
3) crossruff.

Diamond finesse comes to mind at trick 2. If it holds, cash the ace, cash all side tricks and crossruff the rest. You're missing only Q9 in spades, chances are good that opps will not be able to overruff you twice.

If diamond finesse fails, basically the same plan. In either case you seem to have 2 tricks in each suit so you only need to make 4 crossruffs and two big spades.

But, thinking about it, it seems to require clubs 3-3, so it will be equal or inferior to line 2). (It might work with clubs 2-4 also, but that is not very likely distribution (4 clubs with the long hearts).

[luis]

Yikes Frances this is a very complex hand !

I appreciate all the information you gave us about the context, weak opponents etc.

I will take the club jack as a true card, a singleton, weak players with QJ tend to drop the Q (principle of restricted talent), with Jx I don't think even a weak player will drop the Jack but who knows.

I will play a spade to the King, discard the diamond queen in the heart King, then play a spade to the TEN then cash the diamond ace, spade ace and play King of clubs and another club. West covers and I discard a heart from dummy. Now west is endplayed and has to play from clubs or diamonds giving me the contract.
Is this too crazy? Who knows but after thinking for 6 minutes it is the line that came to my mind and thus what I would play at the table.

[Al_U_Card]

Let me see......as diagrammed, the H lead is coming through the North (H AKT6) hand?

If so, we start by expecting a 4-1 S break and the DK and CQ with west. That said, West is either 3-3 or 4-2 in the minors and we have to ruff clubs twice.

The rest is just watching the best laid schemes 'o mice and men going aft aglay.....lol

[mike777]

Which east hand is more likely?

QXX=QJXXXX=XXX=J OR
XX=QJXXXX=KXXX=J

I have no idea but will use 2 random tips to make my decision .
Zia=preempt with outside queens.
Old buddy: do not preempt at 2 level with outside aces or kings in first or second seat.

[mikeh]

A nice problem, Frances

I ruff a small ♣ with the ♠7.

Now we get to a lot of branches.

1. East follows. If with the Q, pitch the ♦Q on the ♥K, play K♠ and run the ♠J. This may lose to 3=6=2=2 or 3=5=3=2 with xxx ♠, but wins on 4-1 breaks and anytime the Q is onside.

If ♣x, then again pitch the ♦, play ♠K, ♠ to Ace and ruff ♣. Making if trump are 3-2

2. East overruffs with the Q.

If he returns a ♦, finesse, ruff ♣ with J, cross with a ♦ to ♦A, ruff ♣ with K, and play ♠, needing east to have begun with Qxx trump (likely shapes 3=5=4=1, or 3=6=3=1: if he is 2=6=4=1, with Qx ♠ I am down.

If he returns a ♠, win the 10, ruff a ♣ with the J, pitch a ♦ , win ♦A, ruff ♣ with the now stiff ♠K, ruff a ♦ and play ♠A: again needs east to have begun with Qxx of ♠. Note, playing a low ♠ on east's trump return destroys your chances should west insert the 9, forcing dummy to win an honour. Now east can overruff your 3rd ♣ ruff.

3. East overruffs with the 9.

If he returns a ♦, finesse, playing him for 3=6=3=1, with Kxx ♦. Hope to score 2 top ♣, 4♠ in your hand, 3♦ tricks, 2♥ tricks and one ♣ ruff.

This means declining any ♠ finesse.

If he returns a ♠, again, take the ♦ finesse and hope to ruff out the ♦K: this may work even if east is 2=6=4=1, since west may have Kxx♦

4. If he pitches a red card, I would play a weak opp to have neither the ♠9 nor the Q. The problem then is if west has Q9 tight, I do not need the ♦hook, but if he has Q9x, I do .I hook the ♦, and play a ♠. If he plays the 9, I win the Jack, cross to the ♦A, ruff a ♣ with the K, play the ♠2 to the Ace, dropping the Q, draw trump and concede a ♣.

If he plays low on the trump, play him for Q9x. let your 6 hold the trick. Ruff a ♣, cross to the ♦A, ruff a ♣, ruff a ♦, cash the ♠A, and run the ♣, losing only the ♠Q.

Phew... I am exhausted and probably down at least 1

BTW, east may well have QJx♣: it costs nothing to split, so we cannot assume that east is short in ♣. My line 1 still works if trump are 3-2 or 2-3, but I am in serious trouble if trump are 4-1, which is quite likely if east is long in ♣

[Winstonm]

FrancesHinden, on Aug 18 2005, 09:38 AM, said:

We lost a 24-board match yesterday against a very poor team. If we hadn't bid any slams at all we would have won comfortably; however we went off in 3 excellent slams which cost just under 40 imps. And lost by 6 (you could argue we shouldn't have bid them, but we were also practising for the trials when you have to bid good slams). Two of them were not difficult play problems, just the lie was vile.  This one however, is a gem of a hand & I went off. Can you do better?

Scoring: IMP

2♥   x   P   3♥
P   3♠   P   4♠
P   6♣ P 6♠
P   P   P

---

The 2♥ opening is described as 3-8 HCP, 5 or 6 hearts, fairly random.
Partner's 3♥ showed a game force with a heart control and usually four spades.

LHO leads the 8 of hearts, which can be from either two or three low.
You win in dummy (RHO plays her lowest, which is meaningless as they won't give count or SP here). You play a club to the Ace, on which RHO plays the Jack and LHO the 2.

Plan the play.

Got the hand turned backwards.

With East opening 2H, isn't it best to try to find out the spade situation at once?

So, low spade to the Jack. If this loses, I'll need the diamond finesse onside and the clubs 4/2.

If the Jack wins, I can follow with the spade K to clarify the position. If spades are 3/2, I can afford to ruff a heart back to hand and then ruff a low club. If the clubs are 4/2, with West holding length, I can return in spades and play a big club little club to make. If the clubs are 4/2 with East holding length, I can lead another small club toward dummy and West is pickled - ruffing with Queen won't help, so I can ruff this trick in dummy and then ruff another heart with the Ace, leaving the Queen outstanding and start running clubs - at any point West ruffs he either has to lead a heart to the King or a diamond into the AQ.

If the spades are 4/1 with the Queen onside, I'll take the diamond finesse after the spade King clarifies the spade position. Now I'll cash the club King and ruff a club low. Assuming a 4/2 club break, I'll cash the king of hearts for a club pitch, return in diamonds, and ruff another low club. Now I have to guess how to score my spade 10 either with a heart or diamond from dummy, and I'm inclined to try the diamond.

[PMetsch]

I can ruff clubs in the dummy, this requiers west to hold another club or west to hold exactly 9x of spades. I can also play for the ♦K to be with east, and eliminate all red cards of west before throwing him in with a club. I can not be sure about how the red suits are divided, but I think it has more chance than ruffing a club. Besides if I play 3 rounds of trumps and west has only a doubleton spades, then is squeezed if he has 3♥ and 3♦. He has to dscard a red suit, otherwise I set up clubs, and then I can ruff the red suit he does not keep.

[FrancesHinden]

mike777, on Aug 18 2005, 02:28 PM, said:

Which east hand is more likely?

QXX=QJXXXX=XXX=J OR
XX=QJXXXX=KXXX=J

I have no idea but will use 2 random tips to make my decision .
Zia=preempt with outside queens.
Old buddy: do not preempt at 2 level with outside aces or kings in first or second seat.

OK, so you are playing RHO to have Qxx QJxxxx xxx x.
What about if RHO has Qx QJxxxx xxxx x ? Can you make then?

[luis]

FrancesHinden, on Aug 19 2005, 02:32 PM, said:

mike777, on Aug 18 2005, 02:28 PM, said:

Which east hand is more likely?

QXX=QJXXXX=XXX=J OR
XX=QJXXXX=KXXX=J

I have no idea but will use 2 random tips to make my decision .
Zia=preempt with outside queens.
Old buddy: do not preempt at 2 level with outside aces or kings in first or second seat.

OK, so you are playing RHO to have Qxx QJxxxx xxx x.
What about if RHO has Qx QJxxxx xxxx x ? Can you make then?

Yes, when east shows up with the spade queen in the second round I take the queen with the ace, play a spade to the jack in dummy drawing trumps, discard a CLUB in the heart king and ruff a heart, when I ruff the heart West is squeezed, if he discards a diamond I play dA, dQ and he must now give me the club finesse if he discards a club I play a club discarding the heart T from dummy and west is endplayed again.

Luis

[Fluffy]

I would ruff a ♣ with the 7 next.

[FrancesHinden]

Luis's second answer is exactly correct.

---

You draw trumps in 3 rounds, discard a club on the HK and ruff a heart to hand, which squeezes West. If he discards a diamond you play AQ of diamonds, end-playing him; if he discards a club you duck a club and can now set the suit up.

I wasn't sure whether to believe the CJ or not (if you think about it playing the CJ cannot cost whenever East has Jxx, QJx, Jx or J though there is some restricted choice inferece).

At the table I missed this rather clever layout and ruffed a club with the 7, not entirely sure what I was playing for other than clubs 4-2 (but after the event I can now give you quite a few layouts where I was making, most of them with the DK onside).

I think this should be makeable whenever trumps are 3-2 providing you locate the queen of trumps (and there's no club ruff on the opening lead). It's also makeable with trumps 4-1 a lot of the time, though not necessarily on the same line.

I leave it to the real analysts to work out the best single dummy approach!