Neat declarer play hand

[Finch]

This is a rather neat 'text-book' type hand that came up at Brighton. Unfortunately the actual lie of the cards made it uninteresting, so I've sneakily changed the relevant defensive holding.

As a bonus I'll tell you how you play to the first 9 tricks, which includes some rather clever play - can you spot the 'Morton's Fork' ?

 

[hv=d=s&v=b&n=sqj92hq82d62cj1052&s=sk8753hk5dakqck64]133|200|Scoring: IMP[/hv]

 

1S - 3S (pre-emptive)

4S

 

you overbid to the poor game.

Opponents play 3rd & 5th leads, standard count (and standard attitude) signals and discards.

 

West leads the 5 of diamonds (3rd and 5th) to the 9 and your queen.

You play a spade to dummy which holds, West playing the 10.

You play the 9 of spades to the king and West's ace, East following to both rounds.

West continues with the 3 of diamonds to the 10 and your king.

You play the 5 of hearts to the 9, dummy's Queen, and East's six.

You cross to hand on a trump, East and West both discarding a diamond.

You cash the third round of diamonds, East and West both following, discarding a heart from dummy.

You exit with the king of hearts to West's ace, East playing the 3.

 

Admire your line of play so far, which has ensured that the opponents have to concede ruff-discard or start clubs for you.

 

West considers matters briefly, and playing the Jack of hearts. You ruff in dummy, East follows with the 4 and you discard a club from hand.

 

You are down to 4 clubs in dummy, and two clubs and two trumps in hand. You have lost two tricks.

 

Now you lead the jack of clubs from dummy and East plays low.

What is the club layout?

[Simplicity]

looking at the ♣Q west would realise the only hope of defeating the contract is for partner to hold the ace and would have returned a club.

 

If west holds ♣AQ we are dead anyway

 

Hence we should play for the queen on our right and play low from hand

[kenrexford]

This is much more interesting than is obvious, IMO.

 

We know that both opponents started with 4 diamonds and 2 spades each. It also apears, from the diamond plays, that each has an even number of hearts. The normal assumption seems to be 4-4 there as well, which leaves clubs 3-3.

 

If clubs are 3-3, West has an out with Qxx, as noted, but he also has an out with Axx. If he simply leads a club instead of giving the obvious ruff-sluff, dummy will have to play the 10 or Jack (lest the 9, 8, or 7 from one of the opponents force the King). This will be ducked if East has the Queen, to leave Declarer on board with the Jx opposite Kx, the Ace behind the King, the Jack behind the Queen, and at least two of the 9//8/7 still with the opponents. No solution.

 

So, when it matters (West has only one club honor), we need to know which mistake West would more likely make.

 

It does not seem absolutely clear whether Declarer has the King of clubs or the Ace, unless West is looking at the Ace. So, what if West is looking at the Queen?

 

If looking at the Queen, West might think that a small club might force the 10-K-Ace and leave Declarer with a late guess (small toward J, ducked -- rise or finesse?). The ruff-sluff gains in no events.

 

What about with the Ace? West should visualize thye layout, but obviously this can be missed. He may decide to rely upon a mis-guess by Declarer.

 

So, it seems that West probably has the Ace, but this seems to be a weak inference.