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Trickier than it looks


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[hv=d=n&v=b&n=s3hkq984dakqck864&s=sak65ht632dj743c5]133|200|Scoring: IMP[/hv]

 

After a strong club auction, you end up declaring 4 as South. East doubled the 1 opening.

 

West leads the Q which you duck.

West leads the J at trick two which you ruff.

You next lead a heart to K and both opponents follow small.

What now?

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Hidden answer

 

Club ruff with the 10. If that holds, AK of spades discarding a club from dummy before the next trump. If that is over-ruffed with the Jack and a diamond comes back, AK of spades again before the next trump.

 

The danger of playing a second trump from dummy is that LHO wins from AJx, cashes the other master trump and plays a club through to take 2 more club tricks, or RHO wins from AJx, draws the last trump and plays a spade and I have a long club loser.

 

 

 

Not sure what the best line is at matchpoints, however.

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Well, it's IMPs so I try to simply make my contract. I lead a club and ruff - doesn't matter which heart as an overruff doesn't matter. If LHO follows, I play the spade AK dumping a club from dummy before the next heart.

 

 

Winston

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Hmmm, I think I discovered a danger here:

 

 

It's not entirely safe to ruff a club. If spades are 0-8, RHO with 0-3-4-6, I go down. Unlucky yes, but there is a 100% line I think. Don't ruff a club; cash AK first. Even if RHO can ruff A, I am home because I have two trumps left in my hand.

 

 

Roland

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hidden answer

[HIDDEN]

 

to hand, cash 2nd top , pitching a . If rho ruffs with the J, I lose only the A.

 

If the hold, play a to the board and ruff the last with the 10. If overruffed with the J, dummy is high apart from the trump A.

 

If I win all these tricks, now my last trump towards dummy, making an overtrick if the A is on my left or the suit was 2-2 all along.

 

I think I am okay so long as RHO doesn't hold 7+ :)

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Bear with mikeh folks. Getting it half right is not bad for a lawyer :D

 

At least he recovered when it came to the analysis of the hand because then he got it completely wrong :) . You give RHO a spade void and the contract still makes if you play a spade next.

 

Roland

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Bear with mikeh folks. Getting it half right is not bad for a lawyer  :D

 

At least he recovered when it came to the analysis of the hand because then he got it completely wrong  :) . You give RHO a spade void and the contract still makes if you play a spade next.

 

Roland

Okay, so I didn't drink my coffee this morning before posting :D

 

But Roland, I think your critique of my post confused my use of RHO: I never suggested a problem if RHO has short (including void) . I did mistakenly suggest a problem if LHO has short , but on reflection, the contract is bullet proof so long as you lead after the first wins. Not matter who ruffs which , I can pitch a and still ruff a 2nd , losing only 1 and 2 trump:

 

I will try to learn from this: caffeine is truly a wonder-drug (and sleep deprivation is a bummer)

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Hmm, maybe I'm missing something but I think you are cold if you leave the A-J outstanding.

 

Seems I can just easily cash the AKQ, then cross to the spade and take pitches off the J and K.

 

Ruffing clubs seems to lead to complications.

 

I'm sure Matt had SOMETHING in mind here. <_<

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No hidden tricks Phil.

 

The key to the hand is that you can claim!

 

Leave the AJ outstanding and cash the top diamonds.

 

OR

 

Cross to the spades if you want first and pitch a club, then cross in diamonds and ruff a club.

 

Either way you make at least ten tricks.

 

However, at the table, our unfortunate declarer decided to cross to hand with a spade and lead another trump up, which was not a success when LHO showed out. RHO was then able to draw declarer's last trump and trap declarer in dummy to lose two more club tricks. Quite sloppy play.

 

I showed the hand to one of the uni players who took the same line as the one at the table, so I thought it might be instructional.

 

Although, I'm not sure how many BILers actually answered. :)

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