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You be the judge


LukeG

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[hv=n=sakt92ha96dqt74c6&w=sq53hkt72dk63c832&e=sj86hq4daj82cjt54&s=s74hj853d95cakq97]399|300|Scoring: Imp

N is the dealer

1 P 1NT P

2 P 2NT P

3 P 3NT AP [/hv]

The game is IMPs, both white. EW lead 4th best and use odd/even first discard.

 

West led the 2. East won the Q and returned the suit. Declarer won the Ace in dummy and led a third round of s. East discarded the 4, ostensibly showing strength/interest in s. West shifted to a low spade. Declarer made nine tricks - 2 s, 2s, 5 s.

 

Assign a percentage of the blame to West and East.

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East can not let go the 4, knowing that South has only 2 but should play the 8 instead. West should have switched to K (why else would partner play his lowest ?

 

East 55%, West 45%.

 

Mistakes by East:

1) Throwing a Club although a Spade could not possibly cost anything.

2) Agreeing on Odd/Even discards.

 

Mistakes by West:

2) Agreeing on Odd/Even discards.

3) Not continuing Diamonds on partner's signals.

 

I think 3) counts just a bit less than 1) because if you did 2) you wouldn't know if partner may have had no good card for the situation even though the C4 seems clear enough.

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There is a lot of blame to go around. What clues did east have? West lead the 2, marking South with four . West didn't make a sequence lead, so south clealy has at least the T and maybe higher as well, so will never be a source of more than one more trick.

 

The suit in dummy is ominous, especially given that EAST holds three to the jack. If south has Qx there are five tricks, and if south has xx there are four. So the minor suit(s) will have to be the source of the setting tricks. I would have never returned a . I would have returned a at trick two, and upon getting a negative signal, tried a if I as thrown in with a . This way I get a shot at either minor.

 

What clue did West have? Well, East signalled for a while he himself can see the KQT, what else can he return when he wins the third round of but a . He too can see the danger. I can't imagine ever leading a here...even if you talk declarer out of a hook if he has the J this just can't be the winning play.

 

But on the other hand, how in the world can EAST pitch a on the third ? I don't generally use o/e discards, but if I did, the obvious discard seems to me to be the 8 to ask for a .

 

Clearly not a sterling defense...

Trick one.. 2 queen wins.. seems normal

Trick two.. return, seems very wrong, so demerits EAST

Trick three.. discard, not fatal, but also seems wrong,

Trick four.. exit... is suicidal and is final error, and ignores partner's "carefully" planned call for a lead.

 

So EAST made two mistakes, but West made the biggest. I guess lets call it roughly equal. But EAST could have masterminded the defense (with a switch at trick two, or a safe discard, so I give EAST 55% to blame.

 

Ben

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East can't know the contract goes down when partner shifts to , so he should indeed discard a showing interest in . But the extreme blaim imo is for West. He doesn't trust his partner's discard! If your partner yells DIAMONDS PLZ and you have the K, don't hesitate and play small !

 

West 65%

East 35%

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