Defend 6H

[Trumpace]

You are East, playing IMPs and hold

 

8, _ , AKQ98654, Q964.

 

LHO is dealer (opps playing 2/1) and opens 1H.

 

Bidding:

 

LHO Pard RHO You

1H pass 2C 5d

pass pass 5H pass

6H all pass.

 

(Opps are vul and you are not, if that matters).

 

 

Pard leads the Diamond T and you see:

 

 

[hv=d=s&v=n&n=st3hkt7d3cakjt853&e=s8hdakq98654cq964]266|200|Scoring: IMP

Pard leads ♦T.[/hv]

 

(LHO will follow with the D2 if you win).

 

Plan the defence.

 

As usual Adv/+ please don't spoil it too early.

[Little Kid]

♣

[vuroth]

A♦, K♦, in case partner is QJx♥?

[quiddity]

Declarer might have to draw trumps before cashing a second club trick, and a club now would take out that late entry. This is the case if declarer has AKQx AQJxxx Jx x.

 

A diamond lead taps dummy, which might be important if declarer can establish clubs and draw trumps ending in dummy - something like AQJ AQJxxxx Jx x.

 

A diamond lead can also damage declarer's ability to finesse against a trump honor in partner's hand, though Vuroth's example of QJx would always provide a trick. Partner would have to have something like Qxxx, requiring declarer to finesse twice, and declarer would have to have 12 tricks without the ruff. Something like AKQJx AJ9xxx Jx -.

 

On South's bidding I think the first hand is most likely.

[Phil]

Declarer might have to draw trumps before cashing a second club trick, and a club now would take out that late entry.  This is the case if declarer has AKQx AQJxxx Jx x. 

 

A diamond lead taps dummy, which might be important if declarer can establish clubs and draw trumps ending in dummy - something like AQJ AQJxxxx Jx x.

 

A diamond lead can also damage declarer's ability to finesse against a trump honor in partner's hand, though Vuroth's example of QJx would always provide a trick.  Partner would have to have something like Qxxx, requiring declarer to finesse twice, and declarer would have to have 12 tricks without the ruff.  Something like AKQJx AJ9xxx Jx -.

 

On South's bidding I think the first hand is most likely.

A diamond also works if pard has ♥Qxx / Jxxx and neglects to take a first round hook. Count me in for a diamond.

 

:Littlekid. I assume you are trying to give pard a ♣ruff? If this were the case partner would have about 7-8 spades which seems unlikely given the pass over 1♥

[vuroth]

A♦, K♦, in case partner is QJx♥?

Actually, I think it helps if partner has Q9x♥ as well.

[quiddity]

So, what was declarer's hand?

I'm still voting for a club - it seems better to pick the line which is required and guaranteed to work on certain reasonable layouts. For a diamond to work, partner has to have a trump honor AND declarer has to misguess. It's not like declarer will always guess wrong here since we preempted to the 5-level.

 

Besides, declarer might not have bid slam with AJ-empty trumps.

[cloa513]

How about a spade- if they were planning a finesse against the King they have to commit to it now whereas setting up the clubs would mean its not necessary.

[Trumpace]

I think a diamond is right too.

 

A club ruff, is too unlikely, given partner's silence over 1H, holding so many spades.

 

Also, declarer will pretty much have the Spade AKQ for going to 6.

 

Give partner the Qxx or Jxxx of trumps, then a diamond return beats the contract if declarer does not take a first round finesse. With Qxx remaining declarer may take the first round finesse, but with Jxxx missing, it seems unikely that declarer would do so. With Qxx missing it seems like declarer pretty much will make no matter what you do (7 trumps, 2 clubs, 3 spades).

 

 

The actual hand was

 

AKQxx, AQ9xxx, Jx, _

 

Incidentally, on this hand, playing double dummy, the only return to give away the contract is a diamond. Both club and spade work, as declarer is one entry short to hand to ruff a diamond, take a trump finesse and draw trumps. Playing a diamond gives him the extra entry.