learning to play like HH

[karlson]

[hv=pc=n&s=sq52ha642dckq8742&n=sah98753daq5caj93&d=n&v=b&b=13&a=1h1s2c3s4cp6cppp]266|200[/hv]

 

A small spade was led. Trumps are 2-1 (2 with lefty).

[manudude03]

It looks like we either need ♥2-2 or RHO to win the ♥ with a stiff.

 

Win ace, club to Q, spade ruff, diamond ruff, spade ruff, ace of diamonds, diamond ruff, exit a heart. If LHO plays low from KJT or KQT (or holds QJT), RHO will be endplayed. If whoever wins is able to exit with a trump, then we need ♥ 2-2.

[gnasher]

It looks like we either need ♥2-2 or RHO to win the ♥ with a stiff.

 

Win ace, club to Q, spade ruff, diamond ruff, spade ruff, ace of diamonds, diamond ruff, exit a heart. If LHO plays low from KJT or KQT (or holds QJT), RHO will be endplayed. If whoever wins is able to exit with a trump, then we need ♥ 2-2.

If you're going to play this line, you may as well start with a low diamond from dummy at trick two. RHO shouldn't play the king, but he might.

 

Your endplay seems to require a rather unlikely layout - RHO would have to be 5161, or LHO 4171. But that's no reason not to try it.

Edited April 11, 2011 by gnasher

[Cyberyeti]

If you're going to play this line, you may as well start with a low diamond from dummy at trick two. RHO shouldn't play the king, but he might.

 

Your endplay seems to require a rather unlikely layout - RHO would have to be 5161, or LHO 4171. But that's no reason not to try it.

Is that more likely than playing E for ♠K and singleton K♥(or ♥2-2), and allowing him 2 trumps. You can avoid eliminating the pointy suits, draw 2 trumps and play a small ♥, causing him to give you a spade or diamond trick if he has to win a stiff heart honour. Yes you can look stupid if ♥ are 2-2 and W has K♠.

[gnasher]

Is that more likely than playing E for ♠K and singleton K♥(or ♥2-2), and allowing him 2 trumps. You can avoid eliminating the pointy suits, draw 2 trumps and play a small ♥, causing him to give you a spade or diamond trick if he has to win a stiff heart honour. Yes you can look stupid if ♥ are 2-2 and W has K♠.

What will you do with your spade trick once he's given it to you?

[karlson]

This was not meant to be a technical hand. Obviously the contract is basically on 2-2 hearts and the extra endplay chances mentioned above exist but are pretty miniscule.

 

There is one swindle opportunity, as gnasher mentioned, of a low diamond from dummy. This is what I also tried at the table, but I don't think the chances of it working are very high -- it just looks implausible to eschew the finesse (and also righty could have KJ).

 

There was a hand in one of the Mollo books where the Hideous Hog has a diamond suit of stiff A in hand opposite KJxx in dummy, with basically no dummy entry. He has a chance to take a simple line based on another side suit splitting 3-3, but instead runs all his trumps, has both opponents guarding diamonds in the ending, and claims with his other running side suit. This hand reminded me of it.

 

Perhaps I should have posted this as a defensive problem, but the one thing that the opponents are not going to play us for on this auction is four hearts, so I think it's a big mistake to take the diamond ruff early. Instead ruff two spades and start running trumps. The opponents will have to be on their feet to realize we've stranded the ♦A. Suppose righty has 4 diamonds and 3 hearts (most plausible). Probably she will think I'm playing for a strip squeeze with ♦xx ♥Ax or perhaps ♦x ♥Axx (with ♥AQ(x) I surely would have finessed). This will be consistent with her partner pitching discouraging diamonds to hang on to hearts (maybe even the count will be right!). Unless she has ♥KQJ, she can just unblock the high honor and let partner win to put a diamond through. That would be a weird 6♣ bid, sure, but as can perhaps be guessed from the actual auction, this was a partnership with very few agreements, so anything is possible.

 

Obviously if the opponents have held on to a spade we can reconsider, etc.

[gnasher]

Perhaps I should have posted this as a defensive problem, but the one thing that the opponents are not going to play us for on this auction is four hearts, so I think it's a big mistake to take the diamond ruff early. Instead ruff two spades and start running trumps. The opponents will have to be on their feet to realize we've stranded the ♦A. Suppose righty has 4 diamonds and 3 hearts (most plausible). Probably she will think I'm playing for a strip squeeze with ♦xx ♥Ax or perhaps ♦x ♥Axx (with ♥AQ(x) I surely would have finessed). This will be consistent with her partner pitching discouraging diamonds to hang on to hearts (maybe even the count will be right!). Unless she has ♥KQJ, she can just unblock the high honor and let partner win to put a diamond through. That would be a weird 6♣ bid, sure, but as can perhaps be guessed from the actual auction, this was a partnership with very few agreements, so anything is possible.

I like this idea, but on this deal I don't think it will work very often, if at all. The problem is that you have to use ♥A as an entry for drawing trumps. If RHO has three hearts, he will see his partner play an honour on the first round. Whichever honour it is, it will look like a singleton.

[karlson]

Ah, you're right of course, I was imagining ruffing two spades with a trump reentry left, this obviously doesn't work. I'll put the ace of spades in declarer's hand when I write my book.

[Free]

I'd just take ♠A and lead a small ♦. If RHO doesn't play his ♦K I still have chances for ♥ 2-2 or an endplay.