My first May NT play problem

[Finch]

28-board league match, IMPs converted to VPs. Actually this wasn't my problem, it was opponents and team-mates. The auction was identical at both tables.

 

[hv=d=e&v=n&n=saqjhk5da108752ck7&s=sk109hq963djcaq1094]133|200|Scoring: IMP

P 1♣ 2♥ 3♦

P 3NT P 4NT[/hv]

 

Partner arguably shouldn't have bid 4NT, but you like a challenge, don't you?

At one table both opponents are experts.

At the other table RHO is an expert, LHO is rather weaker.

 

You get the H10 lead (strong, showing an interior sequence). RHO plays the 2, either standard count or reverse attitude. Both LHOs would consider AJ108x a valid WJO opposite a passed partner.

 

Plan the play.

[mikeh]

Either everyone felt this hand was too easy, or too hard :huh:

 

It seems to me that there is an element of guesswork, such that this is not a hand susceptible to precise analysis.

 

I would assume, absent information to the contrary, that the ♥2 was an honest count card: it seems to me that it is too dangerous for East to falsecard: if his partner holds AJ10xxx, he will need an accurate count if and when east wins an early trick to fire a ♥ through. I assume that the mere fact that West MIGHT hold AJ108x doesn't mean that he won't hold AJ108xx.

 

I win the lead in my hand and table the ♦J.

 

If LHO covers, I win and lead the ♦10, pitching a ♠.

 

If RHO wins this, then if LHO began with H9, I can claim 10 winners even if RHO has a ♥ to play.

 

If RHO wins, and the 9 doesn't drop: I am down if he can cash the 9 and lead a ♥ or if he leads a ♥ and LHO can cash the ♦9. However, if ♥ are 6-1, I am going to power the ♦ suit home, so will not need the ♣'s to run.

 

If LHO doesn't cover the ♦J, I float it. RHO has to win, else I play ♣ to the K and ♣ to the 10.

 

So RHO wins the 1st ♦. He will probably return a ♠ even with 2♥, so that he can win the second defensive ♦ trick and lead a ♥ then. If he makes the error of winning the 1st ♦ trick and returning a ♥, then if LHO tries to run the suit (playing his partner for 3 cards due to the 2 at trick 1), he simultaneously establishes my second ♥ trick and sets up a minor suit squeeze against RHO.

 

If LHO wins his ♥ and switches, I play the ♦ A and, if the 9 appears, drive out the last ♦ card, and claim (unless West holds it and did not cover from Hxx or H9x)

 

If the 9 does not appear, I play the ♠ winners, just in case I learn something weird, such as west was 5-5 in the majors :P , and then tackle ♣, from the top...absent other info.

 

 

If RHO wins the 1st ♦ and plays a ♠, I win in dummy and play on ♦, unless they are 5-1 (no stiff 9), in which case I play on ♣, from the top unless West was long in the ♦, which strikes me as highly unlikely.

 

Of course, this is the way to go down when ♥ are 5-2 and ♦ don't work and the ♣ were always good for 5 winners B)

[bid_em_up]

Hmmm, if LHO is known to be a weak defender, there is something to be said for winning the heart Q in hand, club to the K and then club to the 9. If this wins, you have 10 tricks (assuming clubs were at least 4-2). And if it loses, LHO is going to be hard pressed to not cash the AJ hearts, especially if his partner follows to the 2nd heart.

 

Not sure why RHO would be playing the 2 of hearts from x2 for standard count or reverse attitude though (except for maybe he is trying to give the illusion of holding a stiff heart when he is really holding both diamond honors and a doubleton heart).

 

I also think this is the more legitimate line of play, where you are depending only on 1 card, the club J onside, as opposed to all the requirements necessary for the diamond line to work, but I will consider it some more.

[Winstonm]

Making the assumption that the heart 2 is an honest card, I will lead a low diamond from table at trick 2. Whoever wins this will either have to continue diamonds for me or exit passively in spades. Assuming a spade return, I win in dummy and play the diamond 10. If the diamonds are not 3/3 or the 9 has not been smothered, I use the diamonds and spades to further count LHO's hand and will finesse the club 10 if I determine that hand to be 3622.

 

Winston

[Finch]

It seems to me that there is an element of guesswork, such that this is not a hand susceptible to precise analysis.

Indeed. That's real life for you. Many (if not most) of the hands I post are in the same category, because these are the ones that benefit most from seeing how different people approach them.

 

I assume that the mere fact that West MIGHT hold AJ108x doesn't mean that he won't hold AJ108xx

 

Exactly. Hearts are indeed 6-1. I just wanted to make sure you thought about and noticed the potential issue rather than assume in textbook fashion that WJO = 6-card suit.

 

The two decisions seem to be whether to win the lead on dummy (keeping the heart position more flexible) or in hand (allowing you to start with the DJ), and whether to play on clubs or diamonds.

 

I don't know what the right line is. Another very good player who doesn't post here won the heart in dummy and played a low diamond to the Jack.

 

At the table, both declarers played on clubs via King and a finesse. One declarer (my husband) said afterwards he thought that was the wrong line, he should have won on dummy and played a diamond towards the Jack.

[Finch]

And this is what happened:

 

[hv=d=e&v=n&n=saqjhkxda108xxxckx&w=sxhaj108xxdkxcjxxx&e=sxxxxxxhxdq9xxcxx&s=sk109hq9xxdjcaq109x]399|300|Scoring: IMP[/hv]

 

Table 1 (where I was West): H10 lead, won in hand. Club to the King, club finesse losing to the Jack. Ace of hearts cashed, spade exit. Declarer cashed all his winners and ended up needing me to have K9 or Q9 of diamonds (or 9x, but in that case my partner would have hung on to more spades and fewer diamonds in the end position). One off.

 

Table 2 (where my husband was declarer): H10 lead, won in dummy. Club to the King, club finesse losing to the Jack. Spade exit. Declarer ran all his black suit winners, and West discarded a diamond, so declarer could cash the DA and exit in hearts to generate a 10th trick.

 

10 imps in, but not very satisfactory. (But we'll take any imps we get.)

[sfbp]

I have been thinking all day about a strange line of play that may work, that happens to work on the existing layout but also probably is ok on several others.

 

Take the first trick with the Q♥, and immediately run the 10 of clubs.

 

a. If it wins you are home as you can cross to hand with the KS to cash the rest of your club tricks, 5C+3S + QH + AD

 

b. If it loses to JC on your right, righty's best return is a small diamond. J, K, A, and run off spade and club winners. The fun part is righty has to come down to three cards, presumably the Q9X of diamonds. If he keeps a spade, he can escape the endplay. Similarly lefty has to come down to AJ H and a diamond, or you can throw him in to make your 9H at trick 13.

 

So they both have to defend perfectly to survive. Quite similar to the play you describe at the other table, but opps have two chances to go wrong, IF the JC is on the right.

 

As the cards lie, the 10 wins and you are laughing all the way to the bank.

[Finch]

I was discussing this hand with the successful declarer last night. He pointed out a problem with the playing-on-diamonds line.

 

Suppose you win the heart on table and play a diamond to the Jack and an honour, and LHO takes the ace of hearts and exits in diamonds. Now you are going to have to guess well to make it.

 

I suggested winning the heart, crossing in clubs (possibly cashing the king first) and running the DJ, but that gives all sorts of other problems.

[Wackojack]

My first instinct before seeing any replies was to assume that the 2 is a singleton. So how about trying clubs from the top to get a count on the west hand? If the jack does not come down and is with east (most likely) who will exit with a spade. You then cash the remaining club. When you come down to ♠9 ♥Q96♦ J♣- opposite ♠A ♥- ♦A108x ♣- , you will have a good idea of opps distribution. You may be able to end-play west with Kx (Qx) or make diamonds by force if west has 9x or any 3. Surprise surprise west turns out to have ♣Jxxx. So after the 3rd club (all your spades are still intact) you run the ♦J. You (i think) then make if west has ♦Kx or xx. If west has a singleton it matters who holds the ♦7.

 

I have no idea if playing clubs off the top first is best but went for this line after about 5 minutes of thinking. Before that I was torn between running the J♦ first and finessing the club against east.

[mikeh]

I was discussing this hand with the successful declarer last night. He pointed out a problem with the playing-on-diamonds line. 

 

Suppose you win the heart on table and play a diamond to the Jack and an honour, and LHO takes the ace of hearts and exits in diamonds. Now you are going to have to guess well to make it.

 

I suggested winning the heart, crossing in clubs (possibly cashing the king first) and running the DJ, but that gives all sorts of other problems.

I am posting prior to drinking coffee... always a dangerous thing for me... but that problem with LHO winning the 1st ♦ is why my line involved winning the 1st ♥ in hand, in order to run the ♦J, without touching my black suit communications: it looks like the counter-intuitive play in the ♥ suit, but it doesn't matter at all if ♥ are 5-2, and if ♥ are 6-1, then even if LHO gains the lead at some point, he cannot cash both ♥ winners without establishing my 9. More importantly, he is most unlikely to be able to get in unless ♦ are behaving, so I will lose only 4 red tricks and no black ones.

[hatchett]

so I will lose only 4 red tricks and no black ones.

 

Very commendable if you are in 3NT but .......!

[mikeh]

so I will lose only 4 red tricks and no black ones.

 

Very commendable if you are in 3NT but .......!

I did it again :D ;) :P gotta train myself about that coffee: still think that the ♦J works best, since it loses 4 tricks only when LHO has HHx or H9x(x) in ♦