A hand to think about

[foo]

Playing 1N= 12-14, you pickup in 2nd seat:

Ax.AKx.9xxx.K87x

 

You open 1N and a normal auction ensues:

1N-2C;2D-3N

 

The DQ is led and Dummy comes down (S hand repeated):

JTxx.xxx.AK8x.AJ

 

Ax.AKx.9xxx.K87x

 

Your move.

[G_R__E_G]

I'm goint to assume that west started with ♦QJTx or at least ♦QJxx (in which case east's stiff T will drop on the first round. So if I duck the first trick that gives me 8 sure tricks. I've got some chances in both ♣ and ♠ but how I play it will probably be influenced by what happens next. I'll assume that west continues with a heart, because that's probably best defense. I think I'll immediately try to finesse the ♣J. If the ♣Q is on-side or if the ♣T and 9 are trebleton or doubleton I've found my ninth trick.

[whereagles]

Rise with a top diamond, just in case they break QJxx/T. If not, then play back a diamond to the 8 and subsequently try to do something with the clubs.

[mikeh]

Well, this is one of those hands that would be easier to play at the table than when posted, because most opponents will give you clues as the play develops. For example, I intend to play on ♦ initially, even if they are 5-0. And in doing so, I make East make some pitches, and both knowing what they are and (in some cases) how easily he made them, will help refine my options.

 

The start is easy enough: rise with a high ♦ and exit a low one towards the 9 (unless the 10 appeared on round 1, which I will bet did not happen).

 

Beyond that, I will not commit, because this is a very fluid hand... clearly the most straightforward option is to hook the ♣J: winning when the Q is onside or when the 109 are doubleton or stiff, but there are other possibilities as well and I will preserve my choices until I know a little more.

[pclayton]

I want to play in the game where West leads the Q from QJ empty 4th or 5th. Eagles and G..R..E..G, please PM this information, thanks.

 

I see no reason to duck. Ducking never leads to 4 tricks and gives me entry problems since I need an extra entry to the closed hand to double hook the remaining J-10. So I will win and play a D back toward my 9.

 

The black suits are kind of intersting. Assuming the spade honors are split, the suit is frozen to either defender.I don't mind a club lead from West either because it let's me test the suit and not kill an entry to the closed hand.

 

So the best return is a heart. I'll win and (probably) hook the club. They'll win and play another heart. I'll win and finish off the diamonds. At this point I think I'm reduced to 10-9-x of clubs coming down.

 

Let's go back a second. Think about the East hand. Assuming diamonds are 4-1, East holds 12 non-diamond cards. Its very possible that if East is 4414 with the QC, he is already starting to feel the pinch. A black suit pitch gives up T9 immediately, so East has to shed a heart.

 

Say I continue as before, but I win the heart and finish the diamonds. East's hand gets ground to a pulp.

 

I think its similar if East has some of the various 5431's, since he will control 2 suits and needs to maintain a link with his pard.

 

Very curious, the spade suit. If RHO has honor 4th and LHO has honor 3rd, I can always make 2 tricks.

 

And down the rabbit hole we travel....

 

:)

[bid_em_up]

Very curious, the spade suit. If RHO has honor 4th and LHO has honor 3rd, I can always make 2 tricks.

Which isnt a bad idea, given the non-spade lead....and the fact that you also can score two spade tricks whenever KQx(xx) is in your LHO's hand, or when Hx is in LHO's hand and Hxxxx on the right.

 

Looks like we win the diamond, and play small to the 9 and see what happens. Like phil, I expect RHO to come under pressure on the play of the diamonds.

[foo]

I agree with pclayton that if you know of a game where They lead Q from QJxx(x), you should play Them for money. At as high a stakes as you can convince Them.

 

Since there are people of widely differing skills reading this, I'm going to go in more detail than than the more expert readers need in places. If you are one of them, please be indulgent of my indulging others less skillful than you.

 

3N, DQ led

JTxx.xxx.AK8x.AJ

 

Ax.AKx.9xxx.K87x

 

We have 7 top tricks and have 8 tricks based on a 3rd D trick. We need 1 more.

 

We have some issues with suits that are blocked or frozen that have be dealt with and we have to make sure we take the marked D hook for our 3rd D trick.

 

It doesn't matter whether we duck the DQ on T1 or cover:

QJTx:x or QJTxx:-, we are getting 3 D tricks.

 

I also agree that is nigh unto impossible that LHO has KQxx or KQxxx in S's.

 

My choice ATT was to duck the D lead since I don't mind having LHO on lead here and I see some potential benefit to "rectifying the count" (I may want to set up a later squeeze on either opponent.)

 

DQ*, Dx, Dx, Dx {D's are 4:1 or LHO is a joker}

 

As pclayton noted, the best return is a H, and the HJ was led on T2.

I still don't mind having LHO on lead, and I still wanted to tighten the position,

so I held up in H's:

HJ*, Hx, Hx, Hx

 

LHO shrugged and put the HT on the table:

HT*,Hx,Hx,HK!

 

As others noted playing on D's will put RHO under discard pressure, and I am in the correct hand for the 1st D hook, so:

DT,DK!,Hx,D9*

{Looks like H's were, from LHO around, =3343 or =2353}

{RHO is =3541 or =4441}

 

I wanted to continue the theme of keeping RHO under pressure, so I want to get back to my hand to continue to play on D's. Given my cards, I don't like touching the black suits before I have to, so

Cx,Hx*,Hx,HA! {LHO's C discard is interesting. Implies they are protecting S's}

D7,D8!,Cx,Dx*

DJ,DA*,HQ,Dx {RHO's was =3541...}

 

RHO is clearly protecting Hxx in S's and Qxx in C's. Most likely 2 Q's. That means LHO is protecting Hxxx in S's, most likely Kxxx, and xx, Tx, or 9x in C's.

 

Time to give them nothing but losing options.

Cx, CA*,Cx, Cx

CT, CJ*,CQ, CK!

I claim, explaining that after I throw RHO in with their C9 I get the C8 and the SA.

 

Not a particularly hard hand. But it is a swing board!?

Playing Strong NTs w/ or w/o Inverted minors, many Declarers got a Sx lead.

Good defenders in 3rd seat holding Q9x of S's inserted the S9.

Declarer must take the SA or is down.

Declarer must then play a =small= D or is down.

...and if/when LHO coyly plays the D7 as 2nd hand...

Declarer must play the D8 or is down.

Needless to say, most Declarers did not work this out.

 

The arguments for and against various ranges for 1N openings will probably exist forever. Ditto whether or not an Inverted Minor Raise denies a side 4cM.

 

For me, this board is thought provoking in a few ways:

 

........JTxx.xxx.AK8x.AJ

K8xx...........................Q9x

JT...............................Q98xx

QJT7...........................Q9xx

Txx.............................x

........Ax.AKx.9xxx.K87x