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Play to make?


Quartic

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You're playing in a matchpoints event and you pick up a nice hand in second seat (spots approximate):

 

[hv=pc=n&s=s965hjdakqt982ck4&n=s83hq76dj654caj62&d=e&v=e&b=6&a=3s4d4h5dppp]266|200[/hv]

 

West leads a , and East wins the Ace. East continues with the K, West discarding an encouraging heart. East now continues with a third spade, which you ruff in dummy. How do you continue?

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At teams this one is very easy - play to make. At matchpoints I'm not so sure - Rho might have the Q and be offering a chance to make in order to take us 2 down. I was wondering if we should always play to make, or whether there's any situation where its better to settle for 1 down.
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RHO preempted with AKQ and, apparently, K. He's unlikely to have Q as well

 

Fair point - missed that he must have AKQ! (Was re-constructing the hand from memory.) Not sure why you think he has the K though...

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Fair point - missed that he must have AKQ! (Was re-constructing the hand from memory.) Not sure why you think he has the K though...

 

also, even if you think east has the club queen you can still play to make by playing a couple of rounds of trumps and ruffing it down, you can cross back in trumps.....

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I am a simple man, I would bet to just play seven rounds of diamonds pitching all the hearts. There is a good chance they will both keep a heart honor.

 

You will know you got the hand wrong if you see rho throw a heart honour. But the show up squeeze seems like a good line. I have seen worse that lho leading a spade with the AK of hearts. And against most club players if the heart honors are split there is a huge chance they will both keep one. Against a good player you can be sure AKQ of spades is all they have... no chance someone opening three spades with AKQ seventh and the heart K, that is absurd.

 

 

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While Andy is right as usual, there is no need to commit early.

Run diamonds.

If West has the Q he will have to discard his A on the last diamond.

He is very unlikely to discard the A without the Q, unless you rate him to be in the Belladonna class. He does not know his partner has the K

Likewise East is unlikely to discard the K unless holding the Q, admittedly very remote in the first place.

 

When West keeps the A and East the K no need to finesse.

If West discards the A and East keeps the K you should finesse.

If the finesse loses, hold your own cards closer next time.

 

Rainer Herrmann

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