Defense problem at the 5-level

[whereagles]

Matchpoints, adv field and opps, not-so-hot pard, both vuln

 

Bidding:

Pard South you North

pass . 1♠ ... 2♥ . 4♠

. 5♥ .. 5♠ (all pass)

 

You lead the A♦ and see

 

[hv=d=e&v=b&n=sq9653hdq84cj8732&w=sthakj942dak53c95]266|200|Scoring: MP

South plays 5♠[/hv]

Pard plays the 7 (attitude, low = enc), while declarer follows with the 10. You wiggle for a while and decide to cash the ♦K. Pard plays the 6 and declarer the 9. What now?

[Codo]

I have no heart trick and no more diamond tricks. If I have a trump trick, it will come anyway. But maybe a club trick may go away, if declarer has a singelton. So I try a club.

[Finch]

Assuming partner would have encouraged with a doubleton diamond, I just play a trump. Any club trick we have can't be going anywhere.

[mikeh]

Assuming partner would have encouraged with a doubleton diamond, I just play a trump.  Any club trick we have can't be going anywhere.

Agreed

 

On a side note, I prefer that at the 5-level and higher, lead the K from AK, aasking for count... the lead of the A asks for attitude re the King.. at these levels, declarer often has significant shape and we may well be in a cash-out mode... not so much here, given dummy, but as a general principle.

[mike777]

I guess you guys are assuming declarer cannot be:

AKJxxxx..xxx..xx..K

and partner

void...Qxxx...Jxxx...AQxxx

 

Btw I have no problem with showing attitude on the lead of the A of D. But with "o/s" you could show both count and atttitude on the lead of the Ace of H on this auction. Granted this would rarely come up but you can do it. My guess is everyone else just plays suit pref on the lead of the A of H and with a stiff or void in dummy.

[whereagles]

On a side note, I prefer that at the 5-level and higher, lead the K from AK, aasking for count... the lead of the A asks for attitude re the King.. at these levels, declarer often has significant shape and we may well be in a cash-out mode... not so much here, given dummy, but as a general principle.

Indeed, there's much better things to play than attitude in situations like these. With some pards I use to play..

 

"On the lead of A (from AK), if dummy has Qxx+, 3rd hand gives count".

[whereagles]

Thx all. Here's the whole hand

 

[hv=d=e&v=b&n=sq9653hdq84cj8732&w=sthakj942dak53c95&e=s2ht76dj762cakqt4&s=sakj874hq853dt9c6]399|300|Scoring: MP

South plays 5♠

West leads ♦AK[/hv]

With the ♦Q ready for a discard of declarer's lone club, a club switch was necessary.

 

West wondered whether declarer might have had instead

 

[hv=d=n&v=b&s=sakjxxxhxdjt9caqx]133|100|Scoring: MP[/hv]

and refrained from a club switch, which would give the contract in this layout. He couldn't imagine pard held the hand he did because..

 

1. That hand might have bid 5♣ for the lead, instead of 5♥.

2. For a club switch, pard might have played the ♦2 instead of the 6 at trick 2.

 

Later on, pard said he didn't bid 5♣ because he was "afraid it would go 5♣ pass pass pass" :unsure:

[HeartA]

1. That hand might have bid 5♣ for the lead, instead of 5♥.

2. For a club switch, pard might have played the ♦2 instead of the 6 at trick 2.

Agree with these two points.

[Foxx]

So your partner misbid and miscarded you. Move on.

[Free]

Don't be a wimp, just keep on playing ♦s ;)