Can You See the Forest Through the Trees ?

[ONEferBRID]

[hv=d=n&v=b&n=saq54hqdakj4cat9x&s=sjxxhk953dxxcqj8x]133|200|Scoring: IMP

1♦-(1♥)-p-(p)

DBL-(p)-1NT-(p)

2NT-(p)-3NT[/hv]

 

West leads the ♥6...

T1: ♥6, Q, A, 3 ( East winning )

T2: ♥2, 9, 10, ♦4 ( West winning)

T3: ♥7, ♠4, ♥8, ♥K ( South winning )

 

Now South tried the successful ♣ finesse

and took 3 ♣ tricks ( saving the 4th while thinking ).

 

He envisioned East's original holding as:

♠Kxx or Kxxx

♥AJ8xx

♦Qxx or Qx

♣xx

 

So he tried to drop the ♦Q... it did not fall.

 

Next he cashed the 4th ♣... ending in hand.

 

Crunch time.

Since East pitched 2 Diam on the Cl, he decided East had blanked down to the

bare ♠K.

So he played the ♠A... alas, NO ♠K appeared... DOWN 1.

 

How would you have played?

( Where did Declarer go wrong ? )

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edit: Tannah Hirsch bridge column, 10/5/2010

[manudude03]

4 rounds of clubs ending in hand, then exit a heart, East will be endplayed into giving us the 9th.

 

edit: sry just noticed dummy is squeezed. I guess its better to cash 2 diamonds before a club to hand then, then throw him in. Diamonds are more likely to be 5-2 than spades are to be 5-1 and even if diamonds are not 5-2, East has to find some discards on the clubs. I guess ATT, I'd take the diamond finesse and be doomed to go down :(.

 

Edit 2: I will assume East doesn't come down to a blank K, from experience, a lot of people seem to be really bad at hiding the fact they're making uncomfortable discards. I'd have to use some table feel, but if they throw spades in tempo i might even finesse, but probably play east to be like 4522 in that case and go with the edited line.

[Little Kid]

♥K to block the suit on trick 2?

[Bbradley62]

Small heart on trick 2, and also duck the third, if West plays it. Unless East has both black Kings, he can't knock out your ♥K and then cash his last one.

[ONEferBRID]

4 rounds of clubs ending in hand, then exit a heart, East will be endplayed into giving us the 9th.

 

edit: sry just noticed dummy is squeezed. I guess its better to cash 2 diamonds before a club to hand then, then throw him in. Diamonds are more likely to be 5-2 than spades are to be 5-1 and even if diamonds are not 5-2, East has to find some discards on the clubs. I guess ATT, I'd take the diamond finesse and be doomed to go down :).

 

Edit 2: I will assume East doesn't come down to a blank K, from experience, a lot of people seem to be really bad at hiding the fact they're making uncomfortable discards. I'd have to use some table feel, but if they throw spades in tempo i might even finesse, but probably play east to be like 4522 in that case and go with the edited line.

Well, I thot your original line was the answer too.

I too didn't see Declarer being squeezed .

 

Littlekid's "blocking" play works here.

 

And it looks like Bradley's line works also ( same blocking action ).

[phil_20686]

There seem to be lots of choices on this hand. Firstly, in the heart suit, I could play low at trick two, this wins whenever lho has Txx or Jxx. If lho play low from xxx then you have a guess as a tricky rho might try under-leading JTxx at trick two, hoping to hit partner with 9xx or a misguess. I dont think putting the 9 in is a mistake per se, but it is probably against the odds in the heart suit. However, problem with that is that I have to guess to get back to hand with a spade, rather than a club, as after 3 hearts they can switch to a diamond. Course, they can do that after two hearts, and I am stuck again :). So both lines assume imperfect defence I think. Taking that into account, I would try winning the kh at trick two. However, given that the first few tricks are a part ofthe problem i dont think that is the issue intended :)

 

Given the tricks go as in the OP then:

 

If rho has bot the qd and the k spades, but not the k clubs, I can arrange for a squeeze without the count always. I simply avoid cashing the 3rd or 4th club, now I can exit a heart and throw 3 spades, if he exits a diamond its over, if he exits a spade he vienna coups the spades for me, now ace of clubs felling the kc and a club back to hand will simple squeeze east.

 

I guess this must be what OP is suggesting.

[TWO4BRIDGE]

good try, Phil...

 

But West held the ♦ Q whereas East had only the ♠ K ... thus, no squeeze.

 

I was in error, by thinking ( before I posted this problem )to just throw East in with the ♥ relatively early after 5 tricks in the bank ( 1 Ht and 4 Cl ); and any return in the pointy suits by East ( he only has those left ) gives you 4 more tricks.

 

But, alas, as pointed out by manudude, Dummy is squeezed !