100 % solution

[Guest Jlall]

AKxx AKxxx x xxx

 

Qxx Qx AKQxxx AQ.

 

RHO opens 3C and you land in 6N. The lead is the 2 of clubs, standard leads, small king ace. What is the 100 % line (assuming RHO has 7 clubs).

 

This one is not as easy as it looks.

[Al_U_Card]

Sure, where are the squeez-iacs when you need 'em. I would try:

 

LHO has 1C and must have 5+D for this to be a problem (otherwise with 4D you give up a D and then cash your winners and return to hand to enjoy the last D.

 

If he has 5+ D then he can only have one 4+ card major. Cash one D and see the break.WCS, RHO has no D and a 4 card major so after the 1st D you concede a D. No matter what LHO returns, (he can't play a C) win the return and after you play the H, (pitching a D from hand) you will know the major suit distributions and will squeeze LHO out of his D/major suit guards and RHO out of his C/major suit guards after having played the C ace before returning to dummy in S.

 

And hope that it worked when I reopen my eyes :)

[inquiry]

AKxx AKxxx x xxx

 

Qxx Qx AKQxxx AQ.

 

RHO opens 3C and you land in 6N. The lead is the 2 of clubs, standard leads, small king ace. What is the 100 % line (assuming RHO has 7 clubs).

 

This one is not as easy as it looks.

For your 100% line, does it work if !Cs are 3-5 despite the opening bid? Or does it require clubs to be 6-2 or 7-1?

[han]

OK, here an attempt. I haven't done all the cases yet, perhaps I finish them while writing.

 

1) Win club ace.

 

2) Cash spade queen. Assume nobody shows out (else ->A)

 

3) Lead a spade to dummy. If west shows out, duck the spade and west will get squeezed in the red suits. So we may assume that west follows, win the king in dummy. Assume east follows (else -> B )

 

4) Play a diamond to hand. Assume east follows (else -> C), win the king, west must follow.

 

5) Cash a high diamond, east must show out else we can set up a diamond trick or squeeze west in the majors by playing a low diamond next.

 

6) Play a spade. If west shows out duck the spade to east and west will be squeezed in the red suits. If west follows one of the majors must break 3-3.

 

That's the plan, let's see if cases A, B and C work.

 

A) If west shows out on the first spade then we can duck a spade next and squeeze west in the red suits so we may assume that east shows out. Cash heart queen and play a heart to the king. One of the opponents must show out on the second heart. If it is west then west will get squeezed in the pointed suits. If it is east then cash a diamond followed by a low diamond to squeeze west in the majors.

 

B ) Similar to (A). One of the opponents must show out on the first or second round of hearts and west will get squeezed.

 

C) If east shows out on the first round of diamonds then hearts must split 4-2 or better.

 

I'm sure I made a mistake somewhere but I think that I should get some partial credit for this (that's what my students often write).

[han]

Ben, Justin specifically said that clubs are 7-1.

[david_c]

nonsense deleted

[Guest Jlall]

Very good Han!

 

You are correct, the 100 % line assuming clubs are 7-1 (3C opener and 2 of clubs lead).

 

The correct line is very counter intuitive, playing SPADES first. It is a weird kind of discovery play on the count of the hand. You must play in the exact order Han wrote (spade Q, spade to dummy without cashing anything).

 

Would you have found this at the table? :)

[han]

Very nice problem, but of course I would never find this at the table.

 

My first attempt was indeed to play the queen of hearts followed by a heart to dummy, but his didn't work in some cases. It seemed that communication in hearts was needed for some of the squeezes, so I tried a similar idea but starting with spades, and it was pretty clear from the start that this was going to work.

[Fluffy]

Not really, ,I was thinking of 2♥+2♦ then if West has both stoppers squeeze east in ♣-♠,but now I see I get my comunication jammed because ♠AKQ aren't good enough for what I am trtying ;)

[Winstonm]

Seems you have to find out where the threats lie in order to operate the correct squeeze so Q of hearts and heart to the A. Assuming RHO shows out on the second hearts, duck a dimaond, rectifying the count. Win the return and play off one round of diamonds, pitching a heart. If RHO follows to 1 heart and 2 diamonds, he can hold at most 3 spades so cross in spades and cash the last high heart, return to the queen of spades and play as a spade/heart squeeze.

 

Winston

 

Seems to me that starting hearts is as good as spade Q. With RHO holding 7 clubs and guarding the hearts you have an automatic diamonds spade squeeze against west. If west has the hearts and east the diamond length, again you develope a heart spade squeeze against west. If West stops hearts, and east stops spades, then east is 74 .... oops.

 

Like I said, at trick two I lay down the spade Queen...... ;)

[bridgeboy]

I might be late in replying.. but anyway.. here is my sol:

 

Cash Q of S , Ace of S. (assume no one shows out on QS , see below if there is)

 

(A) If all follows, East has 2 to 4 H (Concede H)

 

(:) If West shows up with 1 S, cash SK, ace D concede a D, squeeze West in reds

 

© If East have 1 S, cash Q H ace H.

 

(i) If both follows H break (concede H)

 

(ii) If West has 0 or 1 H, concede a H immediately, East has 1507 (win rounded suit return, cash club ace if needed, S enter dummy and squeeze West in S +D)

 

(iii) If East has 0 or 1 H,

 

count total no. of majors East has: if 2 then D break. if 1 or less, Ace D concede a D, win minor return and squeeze West in Majors.

 

 

If West shows out on S Q,

concede a small S, squeeze West in reds

 

If East shows out on S Q,

cash Q and ace of H,

(i) If East shows out again, cash Ace D concede D, win minor return, squeeze West in majors

(ii) If West shows out, concede H immediately, take minor return, go to S ace cash H K, come back with other minor ace and cash out.. squeeze West in D and S.

 

Phew.. sorry if I got anything wrong!!