Find the best line in 6S

[Poky]

♠ATxx

♥Jxx

♦K9x

♣QJx

 

Lead: ♣10

 

♠KQJ9xx

♥AQx

♦AJx

♣A

 

Spades break: 2-1. Opps silent.

[Free]

Whatever the lead is, take it, draw trumps, finesse ♥, go for the ♣-♦ squeeze if the finesse failed...

[Finch]

Given that spades break 2-1, I assume dummy's 13th card is a spade.

 

Line 1:

Win the lead, draw trumps in two rounds, run the CQ discarding a heart if it isn't covered. Assuming LHO wins (if RHO has the CK we are cold) and returns a club, win in dummy (discarding another heart from hand), cash the ace of hearts and run trumps. In the end position your basic chance is the diamond finesse (making this one out of two finesses) but you can alternatively play for LHO to have been squeezed looking at the DQ and the HK, or for RHO to have beens squeezed looking at the D10 and the HK.

 

This is the simple line needing one of two finesses.

 

There seem to be lots of other lines that are basically on one of two finesses. I can't see why the various squeezes are better than these.

 

If you know where the CK is there are plenty of alternatives, but I would have there is a very good chance the CK is on our right, depending a bit on the auction.

 

p.s. Give me the 9 of hearts in hand and I can think up some much more fancy lines.

[whereagles]

Win ♣A, pull trumps, ruff-finesse the club discarding a diamond and give up a heart.

 

If LHO has ♣K (unlikely), you still have plenty entries to disc a heart on ♣J and finesse heart on the way back.

[gnasher]

If your card-reading is as bad as mine, it's best to draw trumps, cash two top diamonds, and take a ruffing club finesse, throwing a diamond if East doesn't cover.

 

This adds the chance of ♦Qx in either hand to the "one of two finesses" lines, and is worth an extra 2%. More important, it removes any temptation to play an antipercentage squeeze when a finesse would have worked.