Play problem from the weekend

[paulg]

[hv=d=n&v=n&n=s9xxxh9xdakqxxcax&s=saqjxxhxxd9xckt9x]133|200|Scoring: IMP

West  North  East  South

          1♦      1♥      1♠

2♥      3♠      4♥      4♠

All pass

 

Lead: ♥2, ♥x, ♥A, ♥x

East switches to the ♦10[/hv]

From an international match. You win the diamond switch in dummy. How do you play the hand?

[Hanoi5]

I was gonna say ♠x to the A and ♠Q and then I noticed...After ♠A, ♣x to the ♣A, ♣x to the ♣K and let the ♣9 ride (throwing a heart from dummy) unless it's covered.

[Pict]

It is late deleted.

[paulg]

I thought that this was quite a tough hand to work out the best line, but it is not a rare position.

 

Presumably East has a singleton diamond, otherwise it probably does not matter how you play the hand. If she has a singleton diamond, does that increase the odds enough to play her for three trumps and still finesse, or should you play for 2-2 and lead to the ace?

 

Hanoi5's attempted scissor coup is a small added chance when you play for the 2-2 option, but probably not enough to sway the basic choice.

 

Anyone wish to finesse in trumps?

[WellSpyder]

What about playing on clubs before playing any trumps? Then if the 3rd round is covered you can return to ♠A and hope to discard dummy's heart on the 4th round of clubs...

[gnasher]

What about playing on clubs before playing any trumps?

That risks a defensive crossruff when RHO is 2515 without either spade honour.

[hanp]

2515? Do they lead fourth best or something?

[dake50]

Like SA, SQ to SK. Are trumps out? SK +HK losers. East has 1,2? West has 1,2?

[paulg]

2515? Do they lead fourth best or something?

They do lead fourth best. They also lead small from Hxx but not from xxx.

[rduran1216]

with 2-2 or 3-1 spades split, A of spades Q of spades can't be wrong after winning the diamond. Since its IMPs I'm gonna take the surefire winner, in matchpoints I may play at clubs first

[the hog]

International match? I assume its IMPs. Hence I play A and Q of spades. At MPs it is much harder. East may have made the expert switch with or without a doubleton D, if holding the Spade K to sucker you into this play. (Yes I saw the vulnerability and yes I guess east did bid 4S to make, so a stiff is more likely).

 

10 minutes later

Nah! rho has Kxx of S. She is an expert after all. I take the hook.

[655321]

with 2-2 or 3-1 spades split, A of spades Q of spades can't be wrong after winning the diamond.  Since its IMPs I'm gonna take the surefire winner, in matchpoints I may play at clubs first

There isn't a surefire winner line. East may have started with Kxx spades, and after AQ of spades he wins the King and can put his partner in with a heart to get his diamond ruff. This is why some people have suggested trying a scissors coup by playing on clubs at some point.

[paulg]

As one of the Scottish selectors I take a keen interest in how my players perform. Part of this includes analysing most of the boards and assessing them for good and bad plays.

 

On this hand East did have a singleton diamond and ♠Kxx, so it was necessary to finesse. She actually played ♠A and ♠Q but I rated the hand as 'unlucky', meaning that declarer did not make a significant contribution to the score on the hand.

 

Credit really goes to Fiona Brown (punky fee) who found the excellent defence. But I did mark down our defender who failed to find the same play!

 

Paul

[Codo]

Had the scissors coup worked? (without touching trumps)

 

I had belived that this is a stronger line, so what had happened there?

[paulg]

Had the scissors coup worked? (without touching trumps)

 

I had belived that this is a stronger line, so what had happened there?

The scissors coup did not work. I also think, as gnasher said, that the risks of this line may outweigh the benefits as you could go down on many 2-2 trump breaks.

[gnasher]

The scissors coup did not work. I also think, as gnasher said, that the risks of this line may outweigh the benefits as you could go down on many 2-2 trump breaks.

That's not quite what I said, or not what I meant anyway.

 

If you cash ♠A before playing the Scissors Coup, you don't go down on any 2-2 trump breaks. However, you do go down when RHO has Kxx AQxxx x Hxxx.

 

If you don't cash ♠A first, you go down against one specific 2-2 trump break - K10 opposite xx. But you make when RHO has Kxx AQxxx x Hxxx.

[paulg]

Sorry, inability to count to four on my part.

 

RHO actually held Kxx AQJxxx x Jxx.

 

So cashing the ♠A will mean that you go down when LHO covers the club from ♣Qxxx.

 

If you do not cash the ♠A, then you will see both club honours fall and you might now decide to play the spade finesse especially if you believe that RHO would not find this play with four clubs.

[Fluffy]

if LHO covers the club we again do the loser on loser, just that now is more like a loser on winner after cashing ♠A

[paulg]

if LHO covers the club we again do the loser on loser, just that now is more like a loser on winner after cashing ♠A

I think all these options are why it is a difficult hand. If you continue with the loser-on-loser play, then I think you can lose to some 2-2 spade breaks when LHO can ruff the fourth round of clubs especially if you have not cashed the ♠A.

[Fluffy]

I'll reexplian, if my ♣10 is good, I jsut cash ♠A and discard the heart from dummy, opponents make their 2 trump tricks whenever they want.

[paulg]

I'll reexplain, if my ♣10 is good, I just cash ♠A and discard the heart from dummy, opponents make their 2 trump tricks whenever they want.

Sorry, understand now.

 

The danger with the scissors coup line is that it will fail when you take the heart pitch on the third round of clubs, RHO winning, and LHO has three clubs with either the ♠10 or ♠K.

 

I think there is some indication that the hearts are 3-6 because, at this vulnerability, LHO would often pre-emptively raise to 3♥ with 4-card support. Although I'm not sure this helps decide whether RHO is 2614 or 3613.