Defense vs. slam

[bd71]

[hv=d=n&v=b&e=skqxxhaxxxxdxxcxx&s=saxxxhkqtxdxxxcax]266|200|Scoring: IMP

Penultimate board of 28-board team match with intermediate/advanced players. You were up 15 at half, and feel good about 2nd half so far...especially since you made 3HX+1 on last hand and it's a real longshot the other team will ever bid 4H. Opponents comments suggest they are desperate.

 

Their unopposed bidding on this hand:

1♣-1♥

3♣-3N

5♣-6♣

 

You lead K♠, taken by dummy's A♠. Declarer then ruffs a spade and leads a low heart.

 

What do you play?[/hv]

[Fluffy]

duck is good when partner has 2 slow diamond tricks, raise will be good when he's got ♦A wich one is most likelly? I think ♦A is more likelly this time, and add to that that he might even have a trump trick.

[pooltuna]

duck is good when partner has 2 slow diamond tricks, raise will be good when he's got ♦A wich one is most likelly? I think ♦A is more likelly this time, and add to that that he might even have a trump trick.

so you are saying declarer found a 3♣ call holding [hv=s=sxhxdkqjxckqjxxxx]133|100|[/hv]

[Fluffy]

yeah, more likelly than ♦AKxx, specially when you think of the likelly 8 card club suits. and that partner might have ♣K, wich even stiff, is a likelly trick.

[Phil]

Two main possibilities:

 

- Declarer has x, x, Axx, KQJxxxxx (we need to duck)

 

or

 

- Declarer has the hand Fluffy describes, or perhaps more likely: x, x, KQx, KQJxxxxx (we need to win).

 

Initially, I was going to ask "what spade did partner play on the 2nd round", but I can't see how partner would signal suit preference any differently holding the ♦A versus holding the ♦KQJ.

 

It seems to me that there are five KQ"x" combinations, but there are six Axx combinations.

 

Not much to go by, but it looks right to duck this.

 

EDIT: Saw Fluffy's ♦AKxx....good point - ducking is right with AKxx / AQxx too - (more likely combos too)

[bd71]

so you are saying declarer found a 3♣ call holding

Dealer: ????? Vul: ???? Scoring: Unknown

♠ x ♥ x ♦ KQJx ♣ KQJxxxx

So remember that North (me) and South were desperate...

 

My actual holding was not much better than suggested here...

 

x

x

AJxx

KQxxxxx

 

Congrats to those who ducked because you eliminated my only chance at slam. At the table, LHO went up with the Ace and led another. When clubs broke 2-2 and the J♥ dropped under the Q♥ I had the 23-point slam.

 

Those who ducked won a net of 24 IMPs since our counterparts bid and made 3N.

 

I know I got lucky here on many fronts (club split, A♥ onside, J♥ falling)...I posted this to clear up whether I was also lucky in getting less-than-optimal defense. Seems like that's the case.

 

Punchline...we still lost by 50 IMPs.