Weird defensive problem...

[Guest Jlall]

[hv=w=s2hakqt3d93caqt98&s=saq63h4dakt82c732]266|200|[/hv]

 

West dealt and opened 3S which was a transfer to 3N. RHO bid 3N which is forced unless very strong. Imp scoring, w vs r

 

You lead the ace of diamonds asking for attitude, and partner plays the 7 udca. What is your plan?

 

As usual beginner/intermediates hide your answers please.

[brianshark]

I'm going to exit with the ♣7.

 

I'm going to hope pard has a stopper in ♥ or ♣, try and keep declarer from taking any winners in ♠ or ♦ and hope that if pard gets in with a rounded suit stopper, he finds a ♠ return.

[sathyab]

You have to shift to a spade to guard against declarer having the ♣K and ♥J and therefore enough tricks. If pd obliges with the ♠K you're fine. The problem is when declarer has good spades, and takes a losing club finesse, partner may not know to continue spades. You can make it clear that it's spades you want continued when he's in with the ♣K by cashing ♦K and then switching to spades. This of course risks declarer making 5♥, 2♦ and trick in each of the black suits. But if your pd has either red suit Jack and the ♣K or just the ♠K, this defense should work.

[SoTired]

uh - I am confused by the 3S opening bid. Is this the hand that responder was expecting?

 

You have to lead a low spade now. If responder has the ♣K and ♥J, you can't wait. If partner has either black king and either red jack, a spade return should set the contract.

[gnasher]

I'm going to exit with the ♣7.

 

I'm going to hope pard has a stopper in ♥ or ♣, try and keep declarer from taking any winners in ♠ or ♦ and hope that if pard gets in with a rounded suit stopper, he finds a ♠ return.

It's not sufficient for partner to have ♥J. Declarer will cash his clubs and hearts and then endplay you. It will be fairly clear for him to do this - if we didn't have ♠A, we'd switch to spades almost without thought.

[y66]

S3

[brianshark]

If declarer has the ♣K and the the ♠K and we are assuming a ♦ stopper, then switching a ♠ just gives up the 9th trick right away anyway.

[jonottawa]

I looked up the hand because I figured there must have been a really strange layout where the lowest ♠ is wrong. Turns out only that Justin wasn't defending the hand.

 

Obviously playing a ♥ or ♣ is loony. You have 10 potential top tricks staring at you and even if partner has nothing but a slow ♥ or ♣ stopper you're going to get endplayed.

 

A non-high ♦ (the T?) is the winner when pard started with Qx and nothing else. How likely is that?

 

If you don't trust your partner, maybe a 2nd high ♦ is worth the risk but I wouldn't worry about partner switching back to diamonds. On these auctions it's reasonably normal to lead Aces, no? Attitude leads, etc. If I had something like:

 

A63 42 AKJ82 732

 

would I really return my lowest ♠? Partner should be able to read the 3.

[pclayton]

I have to fight the urge to tilt playing against auctions like this. I just tell myself its similar to an opening bid out of turn and RHO took a stab at 3N ;)

 

The diamond could be from 7, 7x, 7xx, J7, J7x or J7xx (close, but positive attitude should still be the Q). Or it could be Q7, Q97. I don't like my chances there, but it might lead to an easy set.

 

I need to assume at least one of the round suits is running. If its clubs, we need to go passive (If declarer has ♦QJx, we still have time to shift). However, as Gnasher says, we will get endplayed later, so this doesn't matter much.

 

If hearts are running, are there any worries? Not many, we can stand to give up a trick with the wrong shift and still recover when pard wins the assumed ♣K. So to me, the main issue is engineering a cashout when both hearts and clubs are running.

 

A high spade works anytime a low spade does (except for a stiff K). I have the option of shifting when pard has the ♥J, ♣K and the ♦J. I also have the option of trying for ♦J7xx, although I'm guessing at that point.

 

A heart looks pointless, as does a club. It does nothing to sever ties to the closed hand, which looks only relevant when declarer has ♦QJx(x). If there are any club tricks available we will get them.

 

I'll sneak a peek at the movie now :)

[benlessard]

I ill play the A of S If partner doesnt encourage ill play a H.

[miguelm]

There are several possible ways to defeat this, one of those is partner holding the S King, others assume he holds something like Clubs KJx, or Clubs Kxx and Hearts Jxxx.

 

A believe the best approach is to cash the S Ace and if partner doesn't encourage to exit with a Club.

[sathyab]

What was the full hand ?

[matmat]

What was the full hand ?

I kibbed this.

I don't remember the entire layout, but p had ♠Kxxxx, I believe, and declarer every important round card

[pclayton]

What was the full hand ?

I kibbed this.

I don't remember the entire layout, but p had ♠Kxxxx, I believe, and declarer every important round card

Yes, the hand record has since vanished, but Mat is right.

 

When I looked, pard did have K-5th of spade, so a low or high spade works.