Finesse S or play A and small?

[kgr]

[hv=d=e&v=n&n=skxhxxdkqjxxxxcaq&s=satxxxhkxxdxcxxxx]133|200|Scoring: MP[/hv]

(1NT)-2S!-(p)-3D!

(p)-3S

- -

2S!: 5 card S and 4+minor (maybe a bit light, but it is NV MP's)

3D!: limit raise for S.

3S: minimal

- -

Opps are not very strong.

LHO starts ♥J for RHO ♥A and ♥ back for your K.

I now played small ♦ to the K that holds and ♦Q covered by RHO ♦A and ruffed by me.

I now played ♠ to the K; and a small ♠ from dummy, small by RHO (The 9 I think)...

- -

Do you agree with play so far?

Is it now best to play ♠T or ♠A?

(I played the T but my partner said it is better to play the A).

Note: 1NT can contain 5-card major.

[pclayton]

Is there any reason you didn't pass 3♦?

 

We have a combined 22, the opps have 18 and LHO has already shown the ♥J. Not much left over for LHO.

 

I don't agree with the play so far. I would have immediately ruffed a heart, cashed the ♠K and pushed out the ♦A. If they play a 4th heart (and RHO didn't have 5), I ruff and play ♠A and a ♠. If LHO can somehow get in, I'm probably screwed, but I don't mind losing 2 spades to RHO.

 

On the actual play, I see no reason to deviate and not play the ♠A now. Even a weak RHO should know to split from ♠QJ9x, so I'm putting RHO on ♠QJ8x or worse; and its certainly possible LHO has a spade honor.

[kenrexford]

One quick observation -- love the agreement to have 3♦ as a limit raise of spades.

 

As to the play. I get heart-heart and win with the King. This itself is odd, with a doubleton heart in dummy. RHO has something in spades he does not want to lead from.

 

So, I play a diamond toward dummy and RHO ducks. This is really weird also.

 

These two plays suggest, actually, that RHO is clueless.

 

So, I ruff out the Ace and ruff a heart, apparently all following. RHO is known to have, I am guessing, 15-17 HCP. As there are only 18 HCP missing from our two hands, LHO has at most 3 HCP.

 

The lead of the Jack show one, so RHO has the club King. With the two red Aces and the known heart Queen, that's 13 of his points.

 

So, we do not know what is going on in spades.

 

However, we have a lot to get rid of in clubs. I think I'd leave the spade King on dummy at this point and play another diamond. If RHO follows (crud!), I'll pitch a club and let LHO win. On a likely club return, I'll play the spade King and then another diamond (which is established), planning to ditch another club. Or something like that.

 

In other words, I'll burn up as many of their spades as I can on the diamonds, pitching my club losers on those spades.

 

A really nice thing could happen, though. Maybe RHO has the doubleton diamond. If so, they might ruff in small. Now, I can overruff with my 10 and play spade Ace-Spade King, perhaps leaving just one spade out. Whenh I then play diamonds, they can ruff in with their last trump (ditch a club), but I still have the club Ace to get back and pitch the rest of my clubs. Heck, on that line, I might lose just one heart and one spade. Making 5!

 

Or, maybe RHO pitches on the diamond, and I pitch a club. I could then play the spade King and then another diamond, pitching a club no matter what happens. If RHO ruffs in, he is endplayed in clubs and will probably play another heart (if he has one). He may be stuck and have to play a spade which I win, leavintg only one spade out. I give up that small spade and claim.

 

It just seems that playing another diamond wins way too much, especially against poor defense.