suboptimal defense

[gwnn]

[hv=d=w&v=n&n=skjhj65d975ck9842&w=sqha2daj86432cj73&e=s87532h84dtcaqtxx&s=sat964hkqt973dkqc]399|300|Scoring: IMP[/hv]

 

Bidding went:

 

2♦-p-p-2♥

3♦-p-p-3♠

p-4♥-all pass

 

2♦ was 6+ suit 10-14 (usually with 8 we open strong or game level. but not 100%)

3♦ might have been bidding the same hand twice. but no undos now.

 

T1: Opening lead is ♠Q (do you agree?)

Dummy covers and East now plays the 2, clearly preference for ♣.

 

T2: Declarer draws 1 round of trump, West winning.

 

T3: West tables the ♣J, dummy's K is covered by East's ace and... oh no, oh no, by declarer's smallest heart.

 

T4 (...): declarer claims and defenders reluctantly accept.

 

What went wrong here? any kind of advice (besides "stop playing fancy systems if you can't defend properly") is most welcome :rolleyes:

[Echognome]

Well, one point is in the bidding. Why did West bid his hand twice? It sounds as though North was willing to let South play in 3♥ as he didn't move over 3♦. That might have ended the bidding right then and there. It's one thing to open 3♦, but if you open 2♦, stick with it!

 

Now for the defense. Ok, it was a bit unlucky for East that south was void in clubs. How could he know?

 

Well, let's piece it together. West has lead his singleton spade. Now looking at xx in ♥, I have to hope West has a heart control in order for me to give him a ruff. So if I place him with Ax or possibly Axx, I know he has a singleton spade (on the presumption i'm trying to give him a ruff) and that he has 7 diamonds (since he bid his hand twice). So he is either 1=2=7=3 or 1=3=7=2. If he is 1=3=7=2, that leaves declarer with a 5=5=2=1 and he would not have balanced with 2♥. Thus, I can place the shapes exactly as they are. I should signal suit preference with my 2nd highest heart to show shortness (rather than an honor). It may not work, but will at least keep partner from returning a club.

 

Now even if I don't place partner with the ♥A, he must have 2 hearts on the presumption he's lead a singleton spade. No other distribution makes sense.

[jdonn]

Echo is right but I don't think so much thought was required. The spade lead is obviously a singleton as west would never lead Qx into south's bid. South has to be 5-6 in the majors for his bidding to make sense, and has two diamonds or else west would have 8. 5620 is the only shape that makes sense.

 

The tough part is that it's hard to distinguish Kx from singleton for east's diamond holdings, as if it was Kx west might have to underlead the first round. However since west knows south has just 2 cards in the minors as well, he can trust with 4 clubs to the ace east wouldn't signal for diamonds at trick 1, so west should go right.

[Echognome]

No wonder I only play defense well when I'm really concentrating. Josh's reasoning is much quicker and more succinct.

[Guest Jlall]

This one is ridiculously hard, I don't think I would get it right.

[mike777]

<!-- FULLHAND begin --><table border=1> <tr> <td> <table> <tr> <td>Dealer:</td> <td> West </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Vul:</td> <td> None </td> </tr> <tr> <td>Scoring:</td> <td> IMP </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td> <table> <tr> <th> </th> <th> <table> <tr> <th class='spades'>♠</th> <td> KJ </td> </tr> <tr> <th class='hearts'>♥</th> <td> J65 </td> </tr> <tr> <th class='diamonds'>♦</th> <td> 975 </td> </tr> <tr> <th class='clubs'>♣</th> <td> K9842 </td> </tr> </table> </th> <th> </th> </tr> <tr> <th> <table> <tr> <th class='spades'>♠</th> <td> Q </td> </tr> <tr> <th class='hearts'>♥</th> <td> A2 </td> </tr> <tr> <th class='diamonds'>♦</th> <td> AJ86432 </td> </tr> <tr> <th class='clubs'>♣</th> <td> J73 </td> </tr> </table> </th> <th> </th> <th> <table> <tr> <th class='spades'>♠</th> <td> 87532 </td> </tr> <tr> <th class='hearts'>♥</th> <td> 84 </td> </tr> <tr> <th class='diamonds'>♦</th> <td> T </td> </tr> <tr> <th class='clubs'>♣</th> <td> AQTxx </td> </tr> </table> </th> </tr> <tr> <th> </th> <th> <table> <tr> <th class='spades'>♠</th> <td> AT964 </td> </tr> <tr> <th class='hearts'>♥</th> <td> KQT973 </td> </tr> <tr> <th class='diamonds'>♦</th> <td> KQ </td> </tr> <tr> <th class='clubs'>♣</th> <td>  </td> </tr> </table> </th> <th> </th> </tr> </table> </td> <td>  </td> </tr> </table><!-- FULLHAND end -->

 

Bidding went:

 

2♦-p-p-2♥

3♦-p-p-3♠

p-4♥-all pass

 

2♦ was 6+ suit 10-14 (usually with 8 we open strong or game level. but not 100%)

3♦ might have been bidding the same hand twice. but no undos now.

 

T1: Opening lead is ♠Q (do you agree?)

Dummy covers and East now plays the 2, clearly preference for ♣.

 

T2: Declarer draws 1 round of trump, West winning.

 

T3: West tables the ♣J, dummy's K is covered by East's ace and... oh no, oh no, by declarer's smallest heart.

 

T4 (...): declarer claims and defenders reluctantly accept.

 

What went wrong here? any kind of advice (besides "stop playing fancy systems if you can't defend properly") is most welcome B)

Playing "OS" the 2 spades is clearly asking for a D shift. Attitude not Suit pref. at trick one.

 

To say at the least suit preference at trick one is hardly clear, maybe your partnership agreement, but that is another statement not made here.

[gwnn]

Playing "OS" the 2 spades is clearly asking for a D shift. Attitude not Suit pref. at trick one.

This is a partnership that plays suit pref., not attitude at trick one.

[mike777]

Playing "OS" the 2 spades is clearly asking for a D shift.  Attitude not Suit pref. at trick one.

This is a partnership that plays suit pref., not attitude at trick one.

Ok, that is clear now. B)

 

Given that Q of spade is stiff and partner has club length and there are ten clubs in sight do we ask for d or club shift? We did not raise D's so maybe we are short or maybe we got the stiff K, your vote.

[jtfanclub]

Given that Q of spade is stiff and partner has club length and there are ten clubs in sight do we ask for d or club shift? We did not raise D's so maybe we are short or maybe we got the stiff K, your vote.

Actually, that's a good point, I think.

 

Even though partner asked for a club shift, he obviously doesn't have the KQT of diamonds and the A of clubs, right? So can it hurt to play one round of diamonds first and see what results? Even if you don't figure out that declarer is void.

[foo]

[inquiry]

This hand is difficult to get teh defense right. The three things EAST should know, or has a chance to know, is that souith is at least 5-6 in the majors, and that partner is unlikely to have AK of diamonds. So at least one such diamond resides with South. Also, the spade QUEEN was a singleton.

 

This gives south at a minimum, something like

 

♠ AT964

♥ KQT973

♦ Kx (or Ax)

♣ VOID

 

OR

 

♠ AT964

♥ KQT9732

♦ K (or A)

♣ x

 

OR

 

♠ AT964

♥ KQT973

♦ K (OR A)

♣ VOID

 

You will need a heart, a diamond, a spade ruff and a club ace, or

a heart, two diamonds, and a spade ruff to beat it. If declarer has the diamond ACE I can't see how you are ever beating it. So the question becomes can partner have EIGHT diamonds on this auction headed by AQJ ? If the answer it no, then south has to be 5-6-2-0. That is a lot to think about at trick one, but if you get ti right, you will drop the SPADE 8, get to ruff a diamond, and give your partner a spade ruff. Not impossible to find, but very doubel dummish.

[jwmonty]

As either East or West, I would still be sitting there trying to figure out what South's bidding meant. With his actual hand, he should have balanced with 4D, forcing partner to pick a major at the four level. He has the perfect hand for that. He even has his eleventh major card in hearts, which is where you want it to be (because partner will bid 4H with 2-2 in the majors). 2H was a dreadful bid that rated to miss an easy game.

 

I don't know what hand I would have played South for, but I wouldn't have expected anything close to what he had.