Defensive hand from STAC

[pclayton]

[hv=d=w&v=e&n=sk3hkq8763d74cjt4&e=saj9hj5d52c876532]266|200|Scoring: MP[/hv]

 

Matchpoints, EW Vul. This is midway through the "STAC"; Sectional Tournament at Clubs. Scores are aggregated through the western 5 districts. The winner gets about 15 MPs, so you need a very good score to have a chance.

 

I played 3 sessions and scored 60, 67 and 63%. I expect the 67% to place, but while we won the club game each time, the 60 and the 63 won't place.

 

Back to the hand. Pard opens 2♠ r/w. RHO passes, you choose to pass and LHO balanced with 3♦. RHO tries 3♥ and LHO closes it out at 4♦.

 

Pard leads the ♠4 (5th best), declarer rises with the K and you win the Ace. Declarer plays the 6. Now what?

[Winstonm]

I think a lot of this is how much faith I have in partner and whether or not 5-card suits are OK for preemptive 2 bids.

 

If I am assuming a 6-card suit, then I have to believe that partner's 4 is an attempt at suit preference with a hand such as Q10xxxx, Axxx, Jxx, void. Here I have to return the 8 of clubs for suit preference to have partner underlead his Q of spades a second time.

 

If pard might preempt with a 5-card suit, the problem is different. Here I think the same concept applies, in that I have to play partner for something like Q10xxx, xxxx, Qx, AQ. Here I would lead the club 7 and follow with the 8 to imply a second entry in spades.

[pclayton]

I had the spade spots wrong. Declarer follows with the 6, not the 2 (corrected).

 

Sorry if I led you down the wrong path. Try again.

[Guest Jlall]

FWIW leading 5th is terrible in this situation. People who play 3/5th would lead 3rd best here, not 5th.

[pclayton]

FWIW leading 5th is terrible in this situation. People who play 3/5th would lead 3rd best here, not 5th.

I know that. Its Brian's preference to lead 5th from 6.

[cherdano]

I would switch to a high club, but it depends on partner's style. For a red vs white weak two with a QT8xxx suit, I expect partner to have a singleton, which is certainly in clubs, and one or two cards on the side. If he has a diamond control (likely), we can give him a club ruff later with our ♠J entry.

 

On the other hand, since Phil passed with AJ9 support and two doubletons, maybe partner's red vs white 2M style isn't what I assume above.

[inquiry]

How wild is partner? At best his spades are QTxxxx red versus white in first seat. It is safe to assume partner has three hearts (at least), and he lacks ♣AK. Will this partner preempt at these conditions with such a poor spade suit while holding four hearts? I will say NO, so that leaves partner with 6-3-x-y. Y (clubs) can not be zero, or declarer has forgotten to bid AKQx of clubs to rebid a five card card diamond suit.

 

So partner will be 6-3-3-1, 6-3-2-2, 6-3-1-3 or 6-3-0-4. The last two holding requires declarer to have an unlikley eight or nine card suit. If partner had a singleton club, he might have tried for a club ruff instead of the spade lead (unless his diamonds are so strong he isn't interested in a ruff). So I will play partner for the 6322 hand. The club lead, club, spade back and diamond ruff looks good, but requires partner to have specifically AQ of clubs, Q of spades. With that hand, they have already missed playing in hearts which surely makes three. So I am going to cash the ♠JACK and wait to see partners card. No doubt it will call for a club, which I will then lead. I anticipate winning 2S, and two tricks in partners hand (whatever values he had for his 2S vul opening bid.. maybe a diamond and heart ace.

[Winstonm]

First an aside: IMO, third from even, low from odd is more readable than strict third and fifth.

 

I take it from the play now that partner's standard lead as you play would be the 4 from Q108742, or 5th best. As it doesn't seem likely that declarer would insist on a minor-suit contract, especially at MPs, with any kind of tolerance, he is apt to have shape such as 2173. or 2164. It would help to know if a side 4-card major is allowed with the 2S bid. If declarer does hold a doubleton heart I don't think it matters too much as long as I don't let them make +150. But if 4D is par, it matters a lot. It is odd that partner did not lead a singleton club and didn't try to wake me up to a club ruff by leading the 2 of spades. Perhaps opps are not in the best contract....2272 then is possible. But then declarer, with something like:

xx, xx, AKQxxxx, AK bid 3S over 3H trying for 3N?

 

I'm still prone to place declarer on 2-1 major shape, so perhaps he is 2182.

 

Let's see. xx, A, AQJxxxxx, AQ. This looks possible. So how do I get partner to not blow a trick and give declarer a losing option? I think the thing to do is win the spade and and return a high club club. Partner should be able to place me with the spade J for declarer's play of the King, so after winning the club he can get out with a low spade. At this point I can continue with a spade, giving a meaningless ruff/sluff, but also giving declarer the losing option of ruffing in dummy and taking a losing diamond finesse.

[pclayton]

Let's see.  xx, A, AQJxxxxx, AQ.  This looks possible.  So how do I get partner to not blow a trick and give declarer a losing option?  I think the thing to do is win the spade and and return a high club club.  Partner should be able to place me with the spade J for declarer's play of the King, so after winning the club he can get out with a low spade.  At this point I can continue with a spade, giving a meaningless ruff/sluff, but also giving declarer the losing option of ruffing in dummy and taking a losing diamond finesse.

Close enough. The entire hand:

 

[hv=n=sk3hkqxxxxdxxcjtx&w=sqt8742hatxdxxckx&e=saj9hjxdxxcxxxxxx&s=s65hxxdakqjtxxcaq]399|300|[/hv]

 

I think if you choose not to raise spades, that playing the J♠ really puts pard in a box.

 

I had the other hand and overtook and tried to give pard an overruff. I can then get the ♣ return for -2, while I still control hearts.

 

The ruff / sluff was meaningful; -130 was far from a great score.

 

I like a ♣ return; where is the spade trick going? I suppose if declarer has ♥Ax and solid diamonds, we are booked for a great score anyway, and there wont be much difference between -150 and -170.