Defend 3N

[pclayton]

We made it to the finals of Bracket II (I think there were 10 total).

 

The semi-final match was a nail biter in the 1st half. Our opps bid a slam that needed Kx or K onside (with 5 out), but we bid 6♦ that needed to pick up a trump suit with Q9xx outstanding. The 2nd half was a blowout. We got 800 on the 1st two boards and finished the 1/2 with a +750.

 

In the final, we are leading by 2 going into the final 12. Here's one of your tests:

 

[hv=d=s&v=n&n=saqj6h9872dkt9c52&w=st872hqt53dj3cqj6]266|200|Scoring: IMP[/hv]

 

The opponents bid 1N - 2♣ - 2♦ - 3N. You elect to track the ♥5 (3/5), which is greeted by pard's Ace. The 6 is returned, J, Q, 7, and you clear the suit, partner pitching the ♦6 (udca).

 

Declarer painlessly leads a ♠ to the Queen and calls for a club off the board (pard playing the 7).

 

 

He tanks....

 

and tanks...

 

and tanks...

 

and finally plays the 10.

 

 

You win the Jack and cash your heart, and pard plays the ♦2.

 

How do you continue?

[pclayton]

edited

[karlson]

What did declarer pitch on the heart? Presumably also a diamond?

Assuming 1N was 15-17, declarer can't have AAK in the minors, so seems that partner is playing games with the diamond discards and has the DA (and we need to get it now if declarer has five clubs). If he doesn't, then declarer has only 8 tricks anyway.

[hatchett]

What does declarer ditch on the fourth heart?

[pclayton]

No a ♠.

[ron]

Play a spade, hope declarer guesses wrong.

[inquiry]

I assume 15-17 1NT (yes some will have 18, especially with 3343 distribution). So partner needs 8 hcp at a min. He had heart ACE, and can NOT have a king and JACK (since I see all four jacks), nor two queens (since I see three of them). So partner has either a black KING and the diamond Queen, or an ACE (if declarer has 18 hcp, then just a black king).

 

The spade discard was intersting. But with stiff King of spades, he can still win 4S (DK entry), so 4S, 4D, and 1H is possible if he has AQxx of diamonds if I don't lead a club now. Would a spade pitch from xx make sense after the spade finessee "won" (good duck partner?). No. So partner does not have the spade king.

 

So partnre either has Club King and diamnone Queen or a minor suit ACE. Partners diamond play seemed to deny the diamond ACE :). So I play partner for the club King (or ACE).How many clubs does parnter have? He has thrown two diamonds (when a spade is always safe) so he is 2-2-5-4 and is clutching his four card club suit tightly. South looks like he has 4♠, 1♥, 2♦. If he has the club AK he has nine tricks. I return a low club (high club exposes partner to a minor suit squeeze). He wins the ACE or his king knocks out the ACE. I will clutch the club QUEEN and diamond JX (tor protect partner from a diamond hook) until south has thrown away whatever minor he will have too on the run of the spades... If he keeps a club, I ditch a diamond. If he throws his clubs away I do too.

[sathyab]

Play to-date and partner's discarding suggests that partner has nothing in diamonds. I doubt if he's playing game with diamond discards. The reason declarer tanked so long before playing the club Ten was he was wondering if it was possible that your pd had QJ of clubs and didn't split honors. And it's entirely possible that he could have had that holding and not split honors, for that coud be the one way of handing the contract to the declarer who other might not have thought of double-finessing in clubs. If all these assumptions are right, you will play a club back to your partner's Ace, not his KING, because declarer would not need so much time to simply duck a club holding ATxx or ATxxx in that suit. If you don't shift to a club, declarer has 4s, 1h and 4d.

[ron]

If all these assumptions are right, you will play a club back to your partner's Ace, not his KING, because declarer would not need so much time to simply duck a club holding ATxx or ATxxx in that suit. If you don't shift to a club, declarer has 4s, 1h and 4d.

If declarer has 1H, 4S, and 4 (potential) D tricks and no club ace, why would he ever play this way?

[sathyab]

I don't think he knew he had four diamond tricks available, so he's trying to set up a club trick. I believe that he was agonizing over whether he should play a club to the King and try for 4 diamonds which can cause immediate death if he was wrong or avoid the losing play and hope the defenders make a mistake somehow.

[flytoox]

Return a club.

[lowerline]

Declarer's hand probably was:

 

♠Kxx

♥KJx

♦AQxx

♣KTx

 

A ♣ return is necessary. Even without the ♦8 in declarer's hand he will make his contract on a ♦-♣-squeeze against partner if you return a passive ♠.

 

Steven

[hatchett]

Declarer's hand probably was:

 

♠Kxx

♥KJx

♦AQxx

♣KTx

 

Why would he play a ♣ to the T with this holding, when he has a better than 50% shot for 9 tricks on top? Well, anyway, until he blocked the spade suit he did.

 

If that is his hand his line is ridiculous. Pitch a club on the fourth ♥. Now win the return, try and run diamonds, and if that fails run the spades and try a club towards the king. This is >65%.

[temp3600]

I think declarer has Kxx KJx Ax(x) A109x(x). It's the only hand I can think of where noone has made a very strange play. It doesn't explain the long tank in clubs though.

 

I return a low club, to prevent partner from being squeezed in the minors.

[kenrexford]

It seems possible that partner only has two spades, Kx. Give declarer xxx-KJx-Ax-AK109x. Partner would then have Kx-Ax-Qxxxxx-xxx.

 

On this layout, Declarer needs the clubs to come in. He might try to drop one honor. He might hook against a possible QJxx in your partner's hand. All very plausible. If this is his hand, then a spade back is critical, to force a guess as to whether clubs split of the "clearly working" spade hook is on.

 

Why, though, would partner play as he did? Partner would clearly discourage diamonds, with K109 in dummy. Would he, though, duck the spade? Why not? His only move after ducking the spade is a club switch, and Declarer will likely do that himself and then finesse spades again. This might cause a tempo problem, or it might make Declarer too optomistic about the spade situation. Coming down to the stiff King behind, when the finesse seems "marked," might be a good move here.

 

So, I'll return the spade, perhaps just to be different.

[cherdano]

It seems possible that partner only has two spades, Kx. Give declarer xxx-KJx-Ax-AK109x. Partner would then have Kx-Ax-Qxxxxx-xxx.

 

On this layout, Declarer needs the clubs to come in. He might try to drop one honor. He might hook against a possible QJxx in your partner's hand. All very plausible. If this is his hand, then a spade back is critical, to force a guess as to whether clubs split of the "clearly working" spade hook is on.

 

Why, though, would partner play as he did? Partner would clearly discourage diamonds, with K109 in dummy. Would he, though, duck the spade? Why not? His only move after ducking the spade is a club switch, and Declarer will likely do that himself and then finesse spades again. This might cause a tempo problem, or it might make Declarer too optomistic about the spade situation. Coming down to the stiff King behind, when the finesse seems "marked," might be a good move here.

 

So, I'll return the spade, perhaps just to be different.

I admit this layout is possible, but I think partner's duck in spades would be wrong. Whenever declarer has to lose the lead just once to develop 4 club tricks, the duck will give away the contract. (Declarer will believe the finesse, but not repeat it when he has 9 top tricks.)

[kenrexford]

It seems possible that partner only has two spades, Kx.  Give declarer xxx-KJx-Ax-AK109x.  Partner would then have Kx-Ax-Qxxxxx-xxx.

 

On this layout, Declarer needs the clubs to come in.  He might try to drop one honor.  He might hook against a possible QJxx in your partner's hand.  All very plausible.  If this is his hand, then a spade back is critical, to force a guess as to whether clubs split of the "clearly working" spade hook is on.

 

Why, though, would partner play as he did?  Partner would clearly discourage diamonds, with K109 in dummy.  Would he, though, duck the spade?  Why not?  His only move after ducking the spade is a club switch, and Declarer will likely do that himself and then finesse spades again.  This might cause a tempo problem, or it might make Declarer too optomistic about the spade situation.  Coming down to the stiff King behind, when the finesse seems "marked," might be a good move here.

 

So, I'll return the spade, perhaps just to be different.

I admit this layout is possible, but I think partner's duck in spades would be wrong. Whenever declarer has to lose the lead just once to develop 4 club tricks, the duck will give away the contract. (Declarer will believe the finesse, but not repeat it when he has 9 top tricks.)

Perhaps devil's advocate some more...

 

Declarer will not be keen on setting up clubs with one loser when he sees a clear alternative. Given his actual hand, he has the alternative of re-entering hand to finesse spades again, and then playing for the spade to drop. That would get him to 9 tricks (four spades, one heart, two clubs, and two diamonds), and it even sets up some squeeze possibilities for overtricks.

 

Declarer also makes on that line with 10xx of spades in hand, if his LHO has Kx. Another tempting line.

 

Here's where partner might be brilliantly setting a trap for Declarer. He must protect against that situation when spades are 4-2, right? If spades are 4-2, hope is not lost. "Knowing" that the spade finesse works, Declarer makes a nice partial reduction play. After the spade hook works the second time, without the King dropping, he crosses back to hand with the last top club before leading a spade, playing his LHO for a possible 4432 pattern. Now, when the spade does not drop, Declarer throws his LHO in with his spade (pitching a club), the third loser, allows him to cash the last heart (his fourth loser), and then sits back for the opponents to break trumps. Of course, LHO has a solution if Declarer is Ax in diamonds of a small diamond, but LHO might miss this or RHO might not realize that a duck is critical. Of course, Opener might even have Axx in diamonds and AK109 in clubs, where there is no solution.

 

The problem with this issue is that Declarer will not have the second spade finesse fail. But, Declarer might nonetheless hold 10xx of trumps and be planning this line. When the second finesse fails, RHO counters with the second club. This blocks spades (in a non-material way?), insofar as Declarer cannot take the two established spaded (Ace and 10) without overtaking the 10 (devastating when spades are really 4-2) or crossing back in diamonds, removing his options on a throw-in.

 

If partner just wins the spade, and exits a club, Declarer may have the spade 10. If so, Declarer wins the club return and cashes out the spades. That brings him to 8 tricks, having taken five of the first 8, with five cards remaining. From partner's perspective, this will put a lot of pressure on you. You must save two clubs, two diamonds, and a heart. If you do not have the QJ of clubs, but Queen alone (Declarer might have AKJx(x) in clubs at the point of the first spade finesse), you are subjected to a throw-in after diamonds are stripped. You were subjected to a squeeze (another immaterial?) against your small diamond exit card.

 

I might have something wrong in this rambling... Even if so, certainly partner is capable of smelling these issues in the brief time it takes to play in tempo and of acting upon it. So, the question arises -- which is more likely? A spade duck from your brilliant partner or a bizarre club duck from Declarer?

[hatchett]

I think declarer started with

 

xxx

KJx

AQx

AKT9

 

This is consistent with partner's diamond signalling. We must play a spade, he is likely to finesse again. If we play anything else he gets to cash a black suit before taking a finesse in the other suit and that it bound to be successful whether he tries ♣s or ♠s.

 

By the way Ken, we hold ♠T and there aren't any trumps on this hand!

[kenrexford]

By the way Ken, we hold ♠T and there aren't any trumps on this hand!

We know hat we hold the spade 10, but partner does not know this and did not know this when he played a small spade at trick four.

 

I'm not sure what the lack of a trump suit has to do with anything. An elimination can be for the purpose of creating a ruff-sluff or other good option dilemma, or just to remove alterative options.

 

But, it is good to see a shared vote for a spade back.

 

BTW, it also seems that Declarer, from partner's perspective, would have an alternative throw-in, not yet mentioned, if I have the missing spade King four times, not the club Jack, and two diamonds. After a second spade finesse, and after finding a bad split, Declarer could also eliminate diamonds before throwing me in to break clubs (again, from partner's perspective of Declarer's options).

 

One last point (maybe) is that partner's pitch of the second small diamond on the cashing heart is consistent with the spade-switch line. With two (or three) small spades initially, partner could have pitched a (high) spade instead. He only cannot ditch a spade when he holds just the King. With the stiff King of spades, partner cannot play a club, as this will encourage Declarer, albeit slightly, that the clubs will break well if he pops the spade Ace.

 

Of course, there is spy-versus-spy going on, as often...

[Winstonm]

I believe declarer's hand is:

 

xx

KJx

Axx

AK10xx

 

I can't beat this genuinely but declarer doesn't know the clubs are 3/3 or that partner ducked the spade king. The club ten could have worked if RHO had the QJx(x) and even if it lost the count might be rectified for a club/diamond squeeze against RHO.

 

I don't want declarer to be able to test clubs so I am going to return a spade and force him to guess whether the spade finesse is truly onside or the clubs are breaking.

[hatchett]

I believe declarer's hand is:

 

xx

KJx

Axx

AK10xx

 

I very much doubt he started with 2 low ♠s, remember he pitched one on the fourth ♥.

[lowerline]

I think declarer started with

 

xxx

KJx

AQx

AKT9

 

This is consistent with partner's diamond signalling.  We must play a spade, he is likely to finesse again.  If we play anything else he gets to cash a black suit before taking a finesse in the other suit and that it bound to be successful whether he tries ♣s or ♠s.

 

By the way Ken, we hold ♠T and there aren't any trumps on this hand!

So you assume partner has ducked with ♠Kx?

 

I still think that something like:

♠Kxx

♥KJx

♦AQx

♣KTxx

or the hand I posted earlier, is more likely. I don't expect this hand was declared perfectly. I am still returning a ♣...

 

Steven

[kenrexford]

Here's another take on why the club back seems critically flawed, IMO.

 

Assume that Declarer holds ♠Kxx ♥KJx ♦AQx ♣K10xx as suggested.

 

That gives partner ♠xx ♥Ax ♦xxxxx ♣Axxx

 

So, on the heart lead, he wins and fires back a heart. On the third heart, he pitches the diamond 6. This is weird. You can see the 10, 9, and 3. If Declarer only has one small diamond, partner must have the 8 or 7. Why play the 6?

 

My gut thought on this is that partner is trying to be ambiguous in diamonds and to allow himself time to decide whether to make the six look small later (playing his reserved high pip) or larger (playing any of many small pips).

 

Of course, Declarer could have AQ87 in diamonds, or A87.

 

Anyway, Declarer now finesses a spade and the hooks the club. On the fourth heart, partner pitches a low diamond. What did he pitch from?

 

If the original hand was as shown, partner was down to ♠x ♥-- ♦xxxx ♣Axx. Knowing that a club back would set the contract, would you not throw the spade, to ensure that a spade is not the lead, trusting that your initial diamond play eliminated out anything but a club? Or, wouldn't you consider a low club pip? The diamond is way too ambiguous.

 

You might get ambiguous with Kxx of clubs remaining, I suppose, but why not encourage a club (or discourage a spade)?

 

Maybe the diamond six was initially and actually high. In that case, Declarer held AQ87 in diamonds. Adding in the spade King and the heart K-J, he might only have the club King. This gives partner ♠xx ♥Ax ♦6xxx ♣Axxxx. At the point of your play of the fourth heart, he is reduced to ♠x ♥-- ♦xxx ♣Axxx. Again, why not play the spade? Add the diamond Queen in, and remove a club (Opener originally held A98 in diamonds), and a small spade again looks right.

 

In other words, partner's play of the second diamond is weird. Give him, however, an original holding of ♠Kx ♥Ax ♦Qxxxxx ♣xxx. The first two cards are the same. On the third heart, he is down to ♠Kx ♥-- ♦Qxxxxx ♣xxx. Picthing the diamond six (per force third best) makes sense when looking at dummy's K109, an ambiguous play in case Declarer holds AJ(x).

 

After the spade, then club finesse, you cash the fourth heart. What does partner have to pitch from? ♠K ♥-- ♦Qxxxx ♣xx. He obviously cannot pitch the spade. Why not pitch the club, to make absolutely certain that you return a spade? Two reasons.

 

First, partner "knows" that clubs are splitting 3-3. Pitching a club will make Declarer more confident that this is the case. Second, discouraging clubs suggests strongly that he actually has the spade King, such that, on a spade switch from you, Declarer has some suggestion, now, that rising is the best line.

 

Partner's problem at this point is that he must induce a spade switch in such a way as to not induce Declarer to rise. It seems reasonable that his best chances lie in making another ambiguous play and hoping that you work out more from ambiguity than Declarer.

[hatchett]

I still think that something like:

♠Kxx

♥KJx

♦AQx

♣KTxx

 

If he has this we can return anything, and he has gone off in a cold contract by not playing a ♣ to the K.

 

I don't expect this hand was declared perfectly.

 

We aren't told how good declarer is thought to be but with Kxx KJx AQxx KTx, a beginner/intermediate would test diamonds first and then try a club towards the K.

Not very difficult.