Defensive Play FOURTEEN

[inquiry]

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Don't you just hate it when you balance back into an auction and the opponents then bid a game they didn't even sniff at originally. You avoid the knee jerk double of 4♥, but just barely.

 

You are playing standard Count and Attitude. You have the following additional info: you play negative doubles over overcalls of 1NT (partner did not do so), and 2♠ by partner directly over the 2♥ bid would have been "to play". The redouble by south was stronger than direct 3♥ the way the opponents bid.

 

Partner leads the queen of spades, you signal you like spades with the 9, declarer leads the club Queen and parnter plays the ♣9. Plan your defense.

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[MrAce]

 

Pd's ♣ 9 is either from 9x or from 9832. I would think from 9832 he could start with 8, but with 9x he doesnt have this luxury. However looking at the bidding, pd can not have ♦A since he is known to have QJ♠, he would have dbled 2♥. Pd should not have 5♠ either due to lack of 2♠ bid.

 

Having said that, although it is tempting to duck first ♣ in order to prevent declarer going to dummy with ♣K, we should play declarer to have stiff ♣ and pd for 9832, because if declarer has QJxx ♣ he would just play ♥A and then knock our ♥ K and claim. We can score 1♣+1♥+1 either ♠ or ♦, since that would make declarer either 2614 or 1624.

 

Taking ♣ A and playing ♠ untill he ruffs, planning to take 1♣+1♥+ and 2 more in ♠♦ suits

 

[BunnyGo]

 

Pd's ♣ 9 is either from 9x or from 9832. I would think from 9832 he could start with 8, but with 9x he doesnt have this luxury. However looking at the bidding, pd can not have ♦A since he is known to have QJ♠, he would have dbled 2♥. Pd should not have 5♠ either due to lack of 2♠ bid.

 

Having said that, although it is tempting to duck first ♣ in order to prevent declarer going to dummy with ♣K, we should play declarer to have stiff ♣ and pd for 9832, because if declarer has QJxx ♣ he would just play ♥A and then knock our ♥ K and claim. We can score 1♣+1♥+1 either ♠ or ♦, since that would make declarer either 2614 or 1624.

 

Taking ♣ A and playing ♠ untill he ruffs, planning to take 1♣+1♥+ and 2 more in ♠♦ suits

 

 

 

 

I don't understand. How can the Queen be stiff if partner has an even number of clubs?

 

 

[MrAce]

 

 

I don't understand. How can the Queen be stiff if partner has an even number of clubs?

 

 

 

 

 

Because i see my ♣ holding Axxx, brainfart :) You are right of course

 

[han]

Ace, I absolutely hate it when partners play the 8 from 98xx. Maybe if one knew the declarer was going to play 2 more rounds and partner wouldn't have to make a decision before then, it could be right to play the 8 in order to give some kind of uber-expert signal, but I prefer to signal as clearly as possible as early as possible. If I play the 8 here, I can have 8x, 8xxx or H98 but never 98xx.

[bd71]

Haven't read the others responses...and am not sure I've "got" this one, but here goes.

 

Unless South is crazy, he's got all (maybe minus one jack) of the outstanding HCP (besides partner's ♠QJ). He can also place virtually all of the HCP he doesn't have with me and my 1NT bid. This hand probably relies on keeping dummy off lead to maximize our ♥ and ♦ tricks. If we can do that, we probably will take 1♥, 1♦, 1♣, and then either a ♦/♠ depending on South's distribution.

 

In ♣, partner is either playing from J9, 9x, J98x, or 98xx...leaving declarer with Q8xx, QJ8x, Qx, or QJ. I doubt declarer would play this way from the 1st holding, so he should have one of the other three. He's likely trying to establish a transportation to dummy to finesse my ♥H.

 

So I will duck the ♣A on this and any further club trick until dummy's ♣K is played, and I will use the ♠K and then lower ♠ as exit cards if I do get in. Not sure exactly what I will keep if he gives me the ♥K and then starts running ♥, but I'm going down to stiff ♣A before giving up my last ♠ exit.

[BunnyGo]

Ace, I absolutely hate it when partners play the 8 from 98xx. Maybe if one knew the declarer was going to play 2 more rounds and partner wouldn't have to make a decision before then, it could be right to play the 8 in order to give some kind of uber-expert signal, but I prefer to signal as clearly as possible as early as possible. If I play the 8 here, I can have 8x, 8xxx or H98 but never 98xx.

 

I don't understand. Why Ace? Sounds like we agree that declarer has another club.

[billw55]

 

This one seems easy. Partner has two or four clubs. If two, declarer has four, and he is always getting to dummy with the king. Although in that case, playing this way makes no sense (it risks a ruff).

 

So likely partner has four clubs, hence I take the second one which is declarer's last, killing dummy completely. If this doesn't beat 4♥ I don't think anything will.

 

[wyman]

I don't understand. Why Ace? Sounds like we agree that declarer has another club.

 

lol, he was addressing MrAce

[BunnyGo]

lol, he was addressing MrAce

 

Got it. I'm calling him Timo or Mista from now on.

[wyman]

 

If declarer is Axx/AJ1098x/Ax/QJ, which is very likely in my mind, I don't see how we can go wrong. We can win the 2nd club and play Kx of spades to partner's yak. He exits a diamond, and it's gg. In fact he's down 2, which means I can afford to take the ace at trick one here if I need to.

 

If declarer is 4=6=A=2, I have to win the ace here and return a club. Sure, this gives him a dummy entry, but he can't both finesse my heart and ruff a spade, so we get the club ace, 2 spades, and either a long spade or the HK. On the other hand, this requires that declarer erred by playing the clubs in the first place.

 

So what if declarer has 7 hearts and 2 clubs? He'll score a club, 6 hearts, a spade, and a diamond (I'm not thinking about the case where he has a diamond void -- too unlikely).

 

If he's 3=7=1=2? Here, there's a danger in winning the first club, since it establishes a dummy entry which can be used to finesse hearts. He only ever has 2 spade losers and the club if he can do that.

 

If he's 2=7=2=2? Similarly, I can't afford to give him a dummy entry here, but I need to take a club trick. He has a loser in each suit, and I need to make sure it stays that way. Have to duck the club once and once only.

 

So 4=6=1=2 is worrisome, and if so, he's grosvenor'd me. But for my money, I'm taking the 2nd club.

 

[MrAce]

.

 

So what if declarer has 7 hearts and 2 clubs? He'll score a club, 6 hearts, a spade, and a diamond (I'm not thinking about the case where he has a diamond void -- too unlikely).

 

 

He will score 7 ♥, if you take first ♣, a spade, a diamond, and the club.

[inquiry]

 

This one seems easy. Partner has two or four clubs. If two, declarer has four, and he is always getting to dummy with the king. Although in that case, playing this way makes no sense (it risks a ruff).

 

So likely partner has four clubs, hence I take the second one which is declarer's last, killing dummy completely. If this doesn't beat 4♥ I don't think anything will.

 

 

On your line of play, is the defense over after you win the ♣? What do you do next? and if necessary next after that?

[shyams]

This one seems easier as a problem than to actually find the correct plays at the table.

 

1. We duck the ♣Q and win the second round. (Partner probably started with ♣J8xx?)

2. Next we play ♦K.

Partner will give count (doubleton I hope).

3. If declarer ducks this trick, I have to play ♦Q next. This stops declarer from entering dummy.

4. This sets up the situation where I will score my ♥K + ♦K + partner gets a ♦ ruff and we eventually score our ♠ winner.

It does not help declarer to win the first diamond. He still has no entries to dummy and we will win, cash ♦Q and give partner a ♦ ruff.

 

We need partner to be something like 4-3-2-4 which seems reasonable for the bidding and play so far.

[wyman]

He will score 7 ♥, if you take first ♣, a spade, a diamond, and the club.

 

I broke this down in the next 2 lines of my analysis I think... :)

[billw55]

On your line of play, is the defense over after you win the ♣? What do you do next? and if necessary next after that?

Hmm, I admit I didn't think there was any further problem. I just exit with spades when in, or the ♦K if a spade would give a ruff-sluff.