Pitching wrong suit?

[Bbradley62]

If you expect to get only one spade ruff, isn't it right to immediately set up that ruff, then pitch two spades on the high clubs and hope to set up the fourth diamond on a 3-3 split?

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[cloa513]

It could have expected the lead to be from a singleton.

[barmar]

Your plan results in losing 2 diamonds and 2 spades, down 1. I think it was trying to hold its diamond losers to 1. But I haven't thought its line through completely, maybe that just trades another spade loser for the damond.

[sner66]

Yes, depending on skill level of opponents you might try to duck a spade immediately and hope they don't continue trumps. You can then ruff TWO spades and make on a 3-3 diamond split.

 

Double-dummy you can make by winning opening lead in N-hand and leading a diamond, ducking into the W hand (if E plays K, win A and then duck diamond). Since E has no trump to return, you make the contract with two spade ruffs, 5 trumps, 1 diamond and 2 clubs.

[barmar]

Yes, depending on skill level of opponents you might try to duck a spade immediately and hope they don't continue trumps. You can then ruff TWO spades and make on a 3-3 diamond split.

GIB's play is based on dealing possible hands and then performing double dummy analysis. So it assumes the opponents can see all the hands and play perfectly, it will never play for a defensive error.

[Bbradley62]

Double-dummy you can make by winning opening lead in N-hand and leading a diamond, ducking into the W hand (if E plays K, win A and then duck diamond).

Wouldn't W simply lead to East's ♠AJ, allowing East to lead the second round of ♥?

[Bbradley62]

My plan was to:

1) Win ♥, irrelevant where.

2) LOSE ♠.

3) Expect ♥ return. Win in North. Upon seeing the bad split, my plan is screwed, but the rest of it was...

4) Ruff ♠.

5&6) Cash ♣AK, throwing two ♠.

7) ♦A.

8) LOSE ♦

9) If they don't cash ♦, which would be fine by me, I ruff return.

10) Draw "last" trump.

11) LOSE second ♦, hopefully crashing their last two honors.

12) Ruff return.

13) Cash 13th ♦.

 

So, this wins when ♥ are 3-2 and ♦ are 3-3. Not great odds, but that's life. What was GIB playing for when he pitched a diamond on ♣A at trick 2?