Defensive hand

[Foxx]

This hand turned up last Sunday in a sectional in San Anselmo, and started a slide that would ultimately put our team out of the top three places in our bracket in an eight-team Swiss round robin.

 

[hv=d=n&v=b&w=sq8xxhqjxdqxxxc10x&s=s9hk10xxxd10976c832]266|200|Scoring: IMP[/hv]

 

Partner the dealer opens 1♣, and the bidding goes 1♣ - 1♠ - pass - 2♠ - pass - 4♠ - pass all around.

 

You lead the ♣2 to partner's ♣Q and declarer's ♣A and declarer returns a small club to dummy's ♣10 and partner's ♣K. Partner leads the ♦K as declarer follows with the ♦J, then switches to the ♥8 as declarer plays low and you win the ♥K.

 

NOW, do you try to score partner's other high diamond, or do you do something else?

[Free]

I play ♣.

[Codo]

Declarer has solid Spades, else you have no problem. He has the Ace of Heart and the Jack of Diamonds and the ace of Club.

If he has a loosing diamond, he will always loose it, if he cannot pitch it on the Heart.

So you must compare: How likely is it, that he has 2 Hearts and two Diamonds to having 4 Hearts and one diamond? Because, if he has the later, you better give your pd a ruff now.

Pd should have helped you: If he wants a Heart ruff, he should lead the ace of D and switch to a heart. That had make it much easier.

 

So, if I trust my pd, that he had made this play, I would play the ten of D.

Else, I play on Hearts. Declarers bidding and play looks much more like a 5413 Hand then a 6223 hand. With that hand, he had been able to draw trumps before playing in the other suits.

[whereagles]

From declarer's play, he seems to have something like..

 

AKJxx

Axxx

J

AJx

 

other shapes seem to leave him with an inescapable diamond loser, so now a heart ruff is in order, and might very well be the last chance to set this.

[Free]

From declarer's play, he seems to have something like..

 

AKJxx

Axxx

J

AJx

Don't you think this is worth a Dbl?

[pclayton]

The two relevant hands seem to be:

 

1. ♠AKxxx ♥Ax ♦Jx ♣AJxx

2. ♠AKxxx ♥A9xx ♦J ♣AJx

 

If its #2, declarer has blundered by not drawing trump and giving up a ♥, ♦ and a ♣. And, there's a chance pard opens 1♦ on: ♠Txx ♥8 ♦AKxx ♣ KQxxx (but I'd want to know our agreements).

 

#1 is the more likely layout. Pard would hold: ♠xxx, ♥8xx ♦AKx ♣KQxx.

 

Put the ♦10 on the table NOW.

[whereagles]

From declarer's play, he seems to have something like..

 

AKJxx

Axxx

J

AJx

Don't you think this is worth a Dbl?

*I* think so, but other people might think differently. That possibility should not be dismissed a priori.

 

As for declarer holding AKxxx Ax Jx AJxx, that might be true, but there are a couple of inferences we weren't told of.

 

1. Did we signal count on the king of diamonds? If so, pard might know already the second diamond gets ruffed.

 

2. I'm not sure that pard would have cashed the ACE of diamonds instead of the king if he wanted a heart ruff. That's the sort of inference Reese would make, but are you 100% sure you can trust pard on this?

 

3. Declarer might have blundered by not going up with the heart ace if he holds AKxxx Axxx J AJx. But how are you to know he didn't mess up? People do mess up frequently, so I'm not willing to give declarer more credit than he's due :)

 

4. Probabilities: 5431 on declarer is slightly more frequent than 5224, but 3334 on pard is more frequent than 3145. Hum...

 

5. Would declarer blast 4♠ on AKxxx Ax Jx AJxx? Isn't that kinda worth some invitation? AKxxx Axxx J AJx seems much more sexier for a flier.

 

There are indeed a couple of hints out there, but which should we take?

[winkle]

Where is the H9? If *my* partner had lead back the H8, then declarer is marked with the 9. If declarer followed "low" to the first heart, then he is marked with 3+ hearts, the diamond can't go away, and a heart return is 100%. Perhaps declarer has AJTxx A9xx J AJx.

 

But if declarer has played the H9 or if partner's H8 does not deny 98x, I'd go with a diamond return.

[whereagles]

Where is the H9? If *my* partner had lead back the H8, then declarer is marked with the 9. If declarer followed "low" to the first heart, then he is marked with 3+ hearts, the diamond can't go away, and a heart return is 100%. Perhaps declarer has AJTxx A9xx J AJx.

 

But if declarer has played the H9 or if partner's H8 does not deny 98x, I'd go with a diamond return.

Another inference I had missed. A very instrcutive hand indeed.

[Foxx]

OK, it is now time to reveal the answer key, which, at the table, I was regretfully not privy to:

 

[hv=d=n&v=b&n=skxxh8dak8xckqjxx&w=sq8xxhqjxdqxxxc10x&e=saj10xxha9xxdjca9x&s=s9hk10xxxd10976c832]399|300|Scoring: IMP[/hv]

 

My ♦10 return was ducked by dummy and partner and ruffed. Declarer now ruffed the ♣9 in dummy (yes, partner had played the ♣Q at trick one from KQJ, apparently to conceal a high card from declarer. It didn't matter on this hand), ran the ♠Q and then went on with a spade to the ♠J to repeat the finesse......

 

Judging from the majority of your comments, I probably should have worked out to return a heart at the table. But that's why I had 18 masterpoints coming in to this event, and why I still do.

 

This thread let me learn a lot of things about bridge on the front line. Thanks everyone.

[whereagles]

Hey Foxx, don't feel bad for getting this one wrong. As you could see, it was quite far from obvious.

[Winstonm]

If declarer is competent, he's trying to pull the wool over my eyes because if he truly had AKxxx, Axxx, J, AJx, he would rise with the ace of hearts, draw trump and claim. More likely he is trying to induce a misplay with AKxxxx, Ax, Jx, AJx.

 

Declarer played this well. There is no rush to draw trump - the heart finesse is always there in reserve - but by allowing the opponents back in he leaves open the door for a defensive error.

 

Edited: I just read the actual hand. There is no reason to berate yourself - declarer could and probably should have risen with the heart ace, ruffed a club, and led the spade Q from dummy for the same result. Also, with the given hand there is no sense in opening 1C as there is no good rebid available after 1H, so the 3145 pattern really should be opened 1D unless the suit disparity is huge - another factor for playing partner for 3334 shape.

[Codo]

If declarer is competent, he's trying to pull the wool over my eyes because if he truly had AKxxx, Axxx, J, AJx, he would rise with the ace of hearts, draw trump and claim. More likely he is trying to induce a misplay with AKxxxx, Ax, Jx, AJx.

 

Declarer played this well. There is no rush to draw trump - the heart finesse is always there in reserve - but by allowing the opponents back in he leaves open the door for a defensive error.

 

Edited: I just read the actual hand. There is no reason to berate yourself - declarer could and probably should have risen with the heart ace, ruffed a club, and led the spade Q from dummy for the same result. Also, with the given hand there is no sense in opening 1C as there is no good rebid available after 1H, so the 3145 pattern really should be opened 1D unless the suit disparity is huge - another factor for playing partner for 3334 shape.

I disagree.

 

1. There is no need ton open 1 Diamond with pds hand.

2. Declarer has two obvious loosers in the minors. So, he played for the Heart finesse to be onside or the spade finesse. This is roughly 75 %, even more, because he knwos, that most High cards are with North.

If he raises with the ace of Hearts, he caters the 5-1 break in hearts but must hope for the spade finesse to work. About 50 %. His line is truly and simple superior.

3. With AKxxx,Axxx,x,Axx He still has a looser in both minors. With A234 opps. QJ56 it is best to take the ace and play twice towards dummy. But maybe this is not sure, if you know, that most HCs are in front of the ace. Then you may believe in the finesse, not caring about a 5-1 break. ( I don´t say, that you should, but I bet, many would...)

[pclayton]

OK, it is now time to reveal the answer key, which, at the table, I was regretfully not privy to:

 

[hv=d=n&v=b&n=skxxh8dak8xckqjxx&w=sq8xxhqjxdqxxxc10x&e=saj10xxha9xxdjca9x&s=s9hk10xxxd10976c832]399|300|Scoring: IMP[/hv]

 

My ♦10 return was ducked by dummy and partner and ruffed. Declarer now ruffed the ♣9 in dummy (yes, partner had played the ♣Q at trick one from KQJ, apparently to conceal a high card from declarer. It didn't matter on this hand), ran the ♠Q and then went on with a spade to the ♠J to repeat the finesse......

 

Judging from the majority of your comments, I probably should have worked out to return a heart at the table. But that's why I had 18 masterpoints coming in to this event, and why I still do.

 

This thread let me learn a lot of things about bridge on the front line. Thanks everyone.

Sigh....

 

This may be one of the biggest peeves I have with partners. The play of the ♣Q is completely unnecessary and does nothing to sway declarer. But I will admit is causes you to transpose the ♣9 and ♣J, which shouldn't be deterimental.

 

Winkle's inference about the ♥9 is valid and an excellent point.

 

Im not sure laying down the high diamond is best by pard, and there's a lot to be said for laying down the Ace. But apparently the King would have elicited a count signal from you, and pard could determine what to do.

 

4♠ is a clear overbid, but opponents do weird things.

 

I think I messed up this one; perhaps a heart continuation can and should be worked out.