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Play small slam in hearts


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Well, if you duck and that works, you make you contract. If it fails, then the spade finesse seems to be needed. This on its face seems like pure math odds of 75%.

 

If you win with the Ace and then eliminate clubs, you can play the diamond Queen next. On this line, you win whenever the spade King is placed right or when the spade King is poorly placed but with the diamond Queen. Again, 75%.

 

However, the second line picks up whenever the club Queen is Qxx, as then you can establish the Jack to ditch the diamond loser. If that happens, both Kings can be wrong.

 

Against that is the slight risk of a club void or that a club stiff will be joined by a heart doubleton. I think that the Qxx is slightly more likely.

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If LHO has led away from the diamond king, you will almost always make your slam by going up with the ace. Play a trump, AK of clubs, trump to dummy, ruff a club. If the Q of clubs has not appeared, play another trump to dummy, ruff a club, and exit a diamond. If LHO has the king of diamonds, he is forced to lead a spade into your AK or give you a ruff and a sluff. If RHO has the king of diamonds, he has an enforced spade return and you get to try your finnesse.

 

In other words, it is never right to play low to your queen unless you live in morbid fear of club shortness accompanied by both trump.

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