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A game I would not have made


gnasher

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I would cash the club A then low to the Q, having decided that 1=4 is slightly more probable that 4=1. I can't meaningfully check out the hearts to see if they are 5=2 or 4=3, since LHO will cover the 9 if I lead it now, and I still won't know where the 3 is (assuming 4th best).

 

I would play out the clubs, assuming I haven't already blown the contract.

 

I expect, absent some surprising information, to next play 3 rounds of hearts, pitching 2 diamonds. If the suit was 4=3, then LHO has to play a spade now. If they were 5=2, he cashes the last heart and I pitch a diamond from dummy and a spade from hand. Then he has to lead a spade.

 

I have to guess the spades, and my choice at the table would depend on the carding to that point, tho the odds are I'd play low. If RHO plays the J, I can win and return the 10. If LHO holds the K, he is endplayed. If RHO holds the K, maybe he has the diamond A.

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I would have played Mike's line - it's 100% when hearts are 4=3; when hearts are 5=2 it works if any one of three honours is in the right place. I'm not sure about cashing the fourth club before the top hearts - that gains if LHO incorrectly discards a heart from something like xx Jxxxx AJx xxx, but if it turns out that hearts are 3=4 we may need a late entry to dummy.

 

On the actual hand, however, it wouldn't have worked:

[hv=pc=n&s=sat6hq9dk872cak43&w=s932hJ8643dAJcJ65&n=sq85hak52d65cqt97&e=sKJ74hT7dQT943c82]399|300[/hv]

This was from the English Premier League. 14 out of 16 declarers made 3NT, which is a bit mysterious.

 

At my table, declarer cashed two clubs, then led a diamond to the eight. That persuaded me that he had Axx and K1098, so I switched to a spade. At the other table in my match declarer played Mike's line, but East went wrong by discarding down to a singleton queen of diamonds, then West cashed A. Proper second-division stuff.

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I was put off leading hearts because North showed 4 or 5 hearts opposite exactly a doubleton and my pips were so bad I didn't see the point. I led a spade, it's not very hard to make it now. I believe teammates also got a spade lead having bid hearts.

 

p.s. and one of the declarers who went off did so because of a faulty claim

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