Play problem

[TylerE]

Contract is 6NT

 

♠ AKxxx

♥ AQ

♦ ATxx

♣ AT

 

♠ xxx

♥ Jx

♦ KJxx

♣ KQ98

 

Opening Lead: T♥

 

Auction (for better or worse) went 1NT (10-12) - 6NT

[awm]

Didn't someone once say you need 33 hcp for 6NT on two balanced hands? Oh well.

 

This is not a very good contract. If you play ♥A on the first trick you have virtually no chances -- you can take eight minor suit tricks, two spades, and a heart if you're lucky... but the only chance of trick twelve is a major suit squeeze and you can't rectify the count (lose a trick after taking ♥A and you're just down).

 

So it seems pretty clear to play the ♥Q at trick one -- if it holds you have some chances (if not you have no chances, but you had no real chances with ♥K off in any case).

 

Supposing ♥Q wins the first trick, I would duck a spade next. Say opponents return a heart (seems best). Now I'll cash a second spade. Two cases:

 

(1) Spades are 3-2. Now you have eleven tricks (4♠, 2♥, 2♦, 3♣). I'd proceed to cash the three top clubs, claiming if the jack falls. Otherwise run the spades and go for a minor suit squeeze (♦Q doubleton or ♦Q with ♣J is better odds than finessing).

 

(2) Someone shows out on the second spade. You pretty much need to guess the diamonds now; I would try this. If diamonds play for four tricks then there are 12 tricks if the ♣J falls and otherwise can play for a black suit squeeze. If diamonds play for only three tricks, then there is some potential of a squeeze against a player holding 4♦-4♠, which may give some incentive to play the long-spade player for the ♦Q even though this is a bit less than 50% odds.

[kenrexford]

The best line, as suggested, does seem to be to play for the underlead of the heart King and then duck a spade. But, I'm not convinced that popping Ace renders the slam hopeless.

 

If all goes well in the minors, you will end up with AKx of spades on dummy with the stiff heart Queen. The person with the heart King must save this. If that person also has Qxx in spades, he may fear a throw-in. If he is convinced that you are playing for this line, he does have a losing option. He could, for instance, imagine that you have Jxx in spades instead. When he wins the heart King, he has no solution. However, if he saves down to Qx of spades, with Kx in hearts, he might have an escape if you do not read him right, at least in his mind.

 

Therefore, you have some hope here, with a tricky opponent. If you decide that RHO had the heart King, and if RHO has the spade QUEEN but not the Jack, and if LHO for good reason does not pitch from Jx in spades, you might just make this contract. You would have to pop the heart Ace, guess all of the minor cards right,, and then, after guessing the second minor suit right, sit up in your chair and look really excited as you play the last minor card.

[nige1]

[hv=d=s&v=n&n=sxxxhjxdkjxxckq98&s=sakxxxhaqdatxxcat]133|200|Scoring: IMP

1N (_P) 6N AP

1N = 10-12

LHO leads ♥T[/hv]

♥Q (wins), Duck ♠. Win return. Cash ♠A

• If ♠ break then cash ♠ ♥ and ♣ winners hoping for a successful squeeze or ♦ finesse
  
• If ♠ don't break then cash a top ♦ and finesse ♦ and ♣ successfully.
  
• If ♦ finesse works but they don't break either, then hope for a ♦ ♠ squeeze :blink: