Play 3NT, H's or D's?

[kgr]

[hv=d=n&v=n&n=sq87hakq963d2ck64&s=sa52hdkj97543cat3]133|200|Scoring: IMP[/hv]

1♥-2♦

3♥-3NT

ap

 

You play 3NT after the above bidding.

LHO leads the ♣9. (opps lead 3th/5th if you think that is important).

What is your plan?

 

I see:

- Develop ♥'s (hope they are 4/3 and that ♠Q is an entry)

- Develop ♦'s. (hope you don't loose 3♣'s and 2♦'s)

What is the best play?

[Fluffy]

your 3♥ bid is surely different from mine.

 

anyway I am going for the hearts, ♣A and spade up

[gnasher]

Playing on diamonds needs a diamond finesse, diamonds 3-2, the player who wins the third round of diamonds not to have three club winners, and their not being able to set up enough spade tricks to beat me.

 

Playing on hearts needs a spade finesse, hearts 4-3, the player who wins their second trick not to have two club winners, and their not being able to cross in diamonds to the other club winner.

 

The difference in the required club layouts seems to make diamonds a better bet.

 

A couple of other points about this line:

 

If I lose the first diamond to West, there's a risk that he'll switch to a spade through dummy's queen. Hence we should play a diamond to the king. That also picks up singleton queen on the left.

 

We should also remember to cash a heart, throwing a spade, to get us up to nine tricks.

Edited November 29, 2009 by gnasher

[kgr]

Playing on hearts needs a spade finesse, hearts 4-3, the player who wins their second trick not to have two club winners, and their not being able to cross in diamonds to the other club winner.

and the West needs to see that he has to play his ♠K immediatly? (Assuming you take the 1st trick in hand and play a ♠ to the Q)?

[shyams]

I choose fluffy's line. If SK is with West, we have 9 tricks on all 4-3 heart fits.

 

While the odds between diamonds and hearts are close (for normal breaks) and gnasher's calculations show diamonds is better, there is a chance that hearts can be pulled for 6 tricks (when either hand has JTx).

[MFA]

Playing on hearts needs a spade finesse, hearts 4-3, the player who wins their second trick not to have two club winners, and their not being able to cross in diamonds to the other club winner.

and the West needs to see that he has to play his ♠K immediatly? (Assuming you take the 1st trick in hand and play a ♠ to the Q)?

Yes, rising with the ♠K should be automatic with the heart suit in dummy. Especially if hearts are 4-3 :P. So what is my real chance with that line? W ♠K, ♥4-3, long club(s) without 4 hearts and without the ♦A? Looks slim.

 

I play like gnasher. ♣K, ♥A, ♦ to K.

[rhm]

A couple of other points about this line:

 

If I lose the first diamond to West, there's a risk that he'll switch to a spade through dummy's queen.  Hence we should play a diamond to the king.  That also picks up singleton queen on the left.

 

What do you pick up, except a single ♦ trick ?

The best you can do now is going down at least one (probably more).

 

You need ♦ 3-2 and a successful finesse among others.

 

Rainer Herrmann

[gnasher]

A couple of other points about this line:

 

If I lose the first diamond to West, there's a risk that he'll switch to a spade through dummy's queen.  Hence we should play a diamond to the king.  That also picks up singleton queen on the left.

 

What do you pick up, except a single ♦ trick ?

The best you can do now is going down at least one (probably more).

Strange. When I wrote that, I was sure that I had ♦8.

[kgr]

[hv=d=n&v=n&n=sq87hakq963d2ck64&w=s964hjt852da8c987&e=skjt3h74dqt6cqj52&s=sa52hdkj97543cat3]399|300|Scoring: IMP[/hv]

1♥-2♦

3♥-3NT

All Pass

 

I did go down because I started with a small ♣ in dummy and I was allowed to make the 1st trick with ♣T. I then played a ♠ to ♠Q and did go down.