MP defense at T3

[sathyab]

[hv=d=e&v=n&n=sj95hat8dq862ck32&e=saq874h953daj3cqj]266|200|Scoring: MP[/hv]

 

It goes 1s-(2h)-p-(3h)-p-(4h)

 

Partner leads the Ten of Spades. Playing UDCA you play an encouraging 4 of spades as declarer wins with the King. At T2, he travels to dummy with the Ten of hearts, partner following suit with the 4 of hearts (no suit preference signals in trumps discussed) and play a small Diamond. Your move.

[Finch]

This looks like a singleton king in declarer's hand, so we should rise and cash our two spade winners.

 

Even if it isn't a singleton king, it usually can't hurt to rise, whether this is mps or imps. Declarer has 3 (or 4) spades, partner having led 10x or singleton 10. Declarer has 5 or 6 hearts. Rising on the diamond costs a trick in the suit only if declarer has precisely Kxx - without the 10 - in which case this play a bit strange (why not draw trumps first?).

 

Not rising costs if declarer has singleton king. It also has the potential to cost if declarer has, say, Kxx KQJxxx 10 Axx although holding the H9 we can probably survive.

 

Most of the time it's irrelevant as declarer has something like Kx.

 

Usually allowing the singleton king to score is not a disaster as there would be a loser to discard on the queen later anyway, but if declarer has Kxx KQJxxx K A10x he was about to get a pleasant surprise, and we have to take the diamond now.

[awm]

There is another position where playing the ace hurts:

 

♠Kxx ♥KQJxx ♦Kx ♣Axx

 

Here declarer is likely to lose two spades, one diamond, and eventually a club... but if we fly ace he can discard his club loser on a diamond later.

 

Nonetheless, I agree with Frances that rising with the ace is the right percentage play.

[sathyab]

There is another position where playing the ace hurts:

 

♠Kxx ♥KQJxx ♦Kx ♣Axx

 

Here declarer is likely to lose two spades, one diamond, and eventually a club... but if we fly ace he can discard his club loser on a diamond later.

 

Nonetheless, I agree with Frances that rising with the ace is the right percentage play.

If declarer has Kx of Diamonds, he won't lose a club eventually. If you play low, he scores the King of Diamonds, plays a Diamond back and ruffs out your Ace with one of the two entries to dummy and the club loser eventually goes away on the established Diamond.

 

Another time you lose by not rising with the Ace of Diamonds is when declarer has Kxx KQJxx K Axxx. Now after scoring a Diamond trick, he takes the two clubs, concedes one and ruffs his fourth club with the Ace of trumps. The highest spot in trumps partner can have is the seven and that can't hurt declarer in any way.

[pclayton]

I had the same hand, but pard had raised spades (you'll laugh when you see Matt's hand later). Pard led the ♠10 so it wasn't difficult to put declarer on 2=5 or 2=6 in the majors initially. I popped ace and returned a spade to declarer's King.

 

Declarer cashed 3 hearts ending in dummy (I thought) and played a small diamond so I was in a similar position.

[keylime]

I like hopping it too Phil - declarer obviously is trying for the maximum. Additionally, I don't think declarer is on K-x-x either - doesn't make sense to just willingly play that.

 

Additionally, you need to see if the spade lead was a singleton or doubleton (I'm expecting a bump with any three card or honor-x in spades with as light as 4-5 hcp in this situation). And, we don't expect pard to have much of anything with what the auction has shown us; time to limit losses.

 

After cashing another spade, it's the exit at trick five that I'd have to consider.

[sathyab]

I had the same hand, but pard had raised spades (you'll laugh when you see Matt's hand later). Pard led the ♠10 so it wasn't difficult to put declarer on 2=5 or 2=6 in the majors initially. I popped ace and returned a spade to declarer's King.

 

Declarer cashed 3 hearts ending in dummy (I thought) and played a small diamond so I was in a similar position.

Phil, the spoiler, spiller :)

 

If partner raises and leads the spade ten, it's pointless returning a spade. But little works on this hand for defense anyway. If you were dealt one more club and one fewer heart, a club shift at T2 would be semi-automatic. As it turns out, with a club shift declarer wins in dummy, plays Diamond to his King, ducks a Diamond, wins the Ace of clubs and ducks one more Diamond. Eventually his thirteenth Diamond takes care of his losing club.

 

If you know declarer has only two spades, it could still be right to hop with the Ace in his line of play as he could have 2=5=1=5 with the stiff King of Diamonds and 5 clubs to the Ace, but I doubt he would have pulled trumps in that case, as you know he doesn't know clubs are so favorable. The way he's playing this hand now, he's going down if you play low. Going up with the Ace is right only when declarer has stiff K.

 

My partner led the spade Ten not having raised spades. And the declarer played it in a way that was easily consistent with Kxx KQJxx K Axxx, so I did rise with the Ace. As I tried to cash the second spade trick, declarer ruffs, making 11 tricks for 1 MP out of 25 and I knew I had been had, not by the declarer, but by the third opponent.

[Finch]

I had the same hand, but pard had raised spades (you'll laugh when you see Matt's hand later). Pard led the ♠10 so it wasn't difficult to put declarer on 2=5 or 2=6 in the majors initially. I popped ace and returned a spade to declarer's King.

 

Declarer cashed 3 hearts ending in dummy (I thought) and played a small diamond so I was in a similar position.

That's not a similar position, because now you are indeed losing to Kx of diamonds as well, as he is an entry short to ruff out your AJx.

[sathyab]

I had the same hand, but pard had raised spades (you'll laugh when you see Matt's hand later). Pard led the ♠10 so it wasn't difficult to put declarer on 2=5 or 2=6 in the majors initially. I popped ace and returned a spade to declarer's King.

 

Declarer cashed 3 hearts ending in dummy (I thought) and played a small diamond so I was in a similar position.

That's not a similar position, because now you are indeed losing to Kx of diamonds as well, as he is an entry short to ruff out your AJx.

At Phil's table, if declarer pulled three trumps you would know he started with exactly two spades and 5 trumps. For it to be right to rise with Ace of Diamonds, declarer has to have a stiff Diamond as playing low doesn't hurt the defense. But if declarer had Kx KQJxx K Axxxx, would he be pulling trumps and not cater for a 4-1 club break ? If that's his hand he most likely would play a Diamond to the King from dummy before pulling any trumps and then work on clubs if he stole a Diamond trick.