system disagvantage?

[Fluffy]

[hv=pc=n&s=sk952hak83da6c852&n=saj64hj54dq73cat4&d=n&v=0&b=1&a=1cp1dp1hp1sp2sp4sppp]266|200[/hv]

 

After a transfer walsh sequence you end up declaring 4♠ when everyone else will be playing from north, Match point, and you get a ♣K lead. What's your plan?

[frank0]

Very unlikely to make, you should assume no trump loser and you still have 4 possible side suit losers.

Even worse they lead CK so you have no timing setting up your HJ or DQ.

 

I'll win the first C play SKSJSA hope W has SQxx. Then cross back to hand with HA and lead C to T, you can make further plan after you see who wins third round of C and plays which red suit.

[gnasher]

Other players may have got a red-suit lead, so we have some catching up to do.

 

I'd duck the first club, win the second, draw trumps whilst taking a finesse, then decide what to do. That depends on what they do in clubs and trumps. Possible lines include

 

- Play three rounds of hearts, hoping to find LHO with something like Qx xxx xxx KQJxx

- Endplay LHO with a club. That's playing him for a hand like Qxx Qxx Kxx KQJx

- Cash ♥AK and endplay LHO with a club. That's playing him for a hand like Qxx xx Kxx KQJxx

 

There is a strip squeeze possibility too - win the second club, play two rounds of diamonds won by RHO, win the heart return, draw trumps whilst taking a diamond ruff in hand, cash the last spade, endplay LHO with a club. However, that involves committing to a particular line very early, so I wouldn't play for that.

[JLOGIC]

Why would everyone play by north in a normal auction? Something like 1C-1H-1N-2D-2H-2S seems like a relatively normal start. Does everyone rebid 1S with 4333 in your region?

 

My line would depend a lot on how clubs split, I will just believe their count.

 

Gnasher, how are you planning on pulling trumps. Are you going to play heart to the ace spade to the jack, or are you going to risk spade to the king to keep your red suit options more open?

[Fluffy]

duckng the club gets RHO to play ♣J on second round, LHO's count is consistent with 5 cards.

 

trumps come in, LHO has ♠Qx (pitches a club on third round)

[JLOGIC]

I think I would have crossed to the heart ace and played a spade to the jack. I do not want to lose to stiff Q or stiff small with LHO, that is too big of a possibility. There are some risks involved with that though obviously.

 

After spades came in, I'd just go with heart heart. If RHO has Qxx, I have the nice problem of deciding whether to be greedy on a diamond back (ducking to try and make 5, or just going up and pitching a club).

 

If LHO has Qxx, maybe I will have him endplayed if he has the DK.

 

And finally, if RHO has QTxx or Q9xx, when he cashes his last heart, I will pitch a club from dummy. Now if he has the DK, he will be endplayed.

 

If LHO had Qx of hearts, I can play a club and hope he's endplayed

[Fluffy]

BTW rebidding 1♠ on 4333 is standard where I live, some people will rebid 1NT but they will not have tools to recover the spade fit. Some people will pass with north's hand also, wich also ends up in 4♠ by north with no possible club overcall after south opens 1♣.

 

I supose gnasher will also come to the conclusion that 3 rounds of hearts is the best approach, frank0 would also make the contract as LHO has ♠Qx ♥xx ♦J10xx ♣KQ9xx and RHO gets a quick endplay at trick 6.

 

I had another decision to make since LHO bared his ♣K and encouraged in diamonds, giving me a chance of ruffing 4th heart and endplay him with a club, but I didn't get fooled for once.

[gnasher]

There's quite a lot to think about on this deal, isn't there?

[rhm]

I'd duck the first club, win the second, draw trumps whilst taking a finesse, then decide what to do. That depends on what they do in clubs and trumps. Possible lines include

 

- Play three rounds of hearts, hoping to find LHO with something like Qx xxx xxx KQJxx

- Endplay LHO with a club. That's playing him for a hand like Qxx Qxx Kxx KQJx

- Cash ♥AK and endplay LHO with a club. That's playing him for a hand like Qxx xx Kxx KQJxx

I think the last line also work most of the time when the second line would have worked, e.g. against the above layout Qxx Qxx Kxx KQJx. The second line only wins over the last one when LHO has Qxxx in ♥, which is quite unlikely when we have to credit LHO with the ♠Q second or third, the ♦K and either 5 cards in ♣ or the ♣J

 

Duck the first ♣, win the second

♥ to the ace, ♠ finesse.

Draw trumps

Cash second ♥

 

If the ♥Q did not drop you need now to decide between line 3 (♣ end-play against LHO) and line 1 (♥ end-play against RHO)

 

When RHO drops the ♣J on the second round, the layout for line 1 becomes quite likely. The ♣J is probably a true card if the right layout for line 1 or 3 exists. Line 1 works also when RHO has 4 cards in ♥.

Given that LHO seems to have 7 black cards and RHO only 5 cards line 1 seems better.

Against good defenders you might wonder though why LHO did not switch to ♦ at trick 2, if that layout existed. This would break the contract if RHO has 4 cards in ♥ and avoids an over-trick if he has 3.

However the deciding issue in favour of line 1 is that a ♥ exit might end-play either opponents, who holds both red suit honors.

So use line 1 which wins against many more layouts than the other ones.

 

Rainer Herrmann

[whereagles]

There's quite a lot to think about on this deal, isn't there?

 

Not really. I'm going to duck a club, take the 2nd one and lead a 3rd. Perhaps someone helps me then :)

 

Of course, if I smell clubs are 5-2 I might try something else.

[Cyberyeti]

Why would everyone play by north in a normal auction? Something like 1C-1H-1N-2D-2H-2S seems like a relatively normal start. Does everyone rebid 1S with 4333 in your region?

Depends where you are, in the UK, the auction starts 1N-2♣-2♠ most of the time so yes N declares, no idea about Spain.