Splinter in the eye?

[kenrexford]

[hv=d=s&v=n&n=skxxhajxxxdxxxcxx&w=sq9xhq9xdq9xcj97x&e=s10xxxhxxdk10xxxcqx&s=sajxhkxxdajcak108x]399|300|Scoring: MP[/hv]

 

I am pleased to admit a tad bit of a poorly-placed grimace from this evening. South opened 2NT. I passed. North bid 3♣ Stayman (yes, he did), and partner passed. South responded 3♦, and north ended the auction with 3NT.

 

Of course this is strange, but the play is the thing. On lead, I hated all options, electing in doubt to lead fourth best from longest and strongest. This worked out decently, as you can see.

 

Declarer won a high club, finessed the heart, and then casked two more hearts (discovering the 3-2 split), ending in dummy with two remaining hearts. He then took an unsuccessful spade hook, and I was in again.

 

After counting out Declarer's hand (20-22 range), I decided that he held one, but not both, diamond top honors. So, it seemed safe to lead a diamond. Partner, a rookie, played the ten, giving Declarer a free diamond and the overtrick. I grimaced.

 

Then, I thought for a minute. Actually, throughout the next hand...

 

It turns out that I made the only defensive error at the table. Do you see why???

 

Part I is seeing my error (easy). Part II is seeing why my partner's play was dead right.

[cherdano]

Nice hand, nice story.

[Foxx]

Getting out with a passive spade looks OK. Declarer doesn't have any more tricks that need to be set up, so establishing diamonds isn't necessary.

 

If partner played the ♦K he would be giving away a finesse if declarer had ♦AQJ.

[kenrexford]

Actually, to clarify...

 

If I lead a small diamond, and partner plays the King, I get caught in a throw-in squeeze in diamonds and clubs.

 

One counter to this is for me to lead the diamond Queen. This leaves partner with the sole diamond menace.

 

Partner sees this. Her sole chance is to hope that I originally held QJx. This allows her to overtake my soon-to-be-stiff diamond Queen in the end, with her spade as the extra/replacement trick.

[GaryFisch]

If your partner envisioned a strip-squeeze, she is no rookie! I didn't even see it until you pointed it out (although I wasn't looking for it).

 

Spade shift instead of diamond looks good since declarer denied 4 spades.

 

 

Also, I'm a bit disappointed, since from your title, I thought the hand would involve a splinter bid gone awry :))

[kenrexford]

Actually, that reminds me of another funny story with my wife.

 

1♥-P-3♠. She did not realize that you could splinter at the three-level, for one. Further, as we play 1♥-P-2♠ as showing a six-bagger, about 8-11, she felt that 3♠ should be a seven-bagger, same range.

 

So, with the "right" hand, I elected to ask for Aces and place the contract in 6♥. She believed me and passed.

 

My hearts were AKQxxx, partner stiff, splitting 3-3. Spades split 2-2, missing the Ace. My diamonds were AQ, with the finesse losing. I held 12 tricks, with no transportation problem, so long as I do not get a diamond lead from my right. This, of course, is impossible at 6♥. The field, in 6♠, got a diamond lead from my RHO, who held J1098 in diamonds.