What are you worried about?

[CSGibson]

[hv=pc=n&w=s95h2dkt83cakq632&n=sakqt42hkqj5dj2c8&d=w&v=e&b=16&a=1cd(could%20be%20off-shape)p2s(balanced%20invite)p3sp3np4c(cue)p4d(cue)p4h(Cue)p4np5s(2%20with%20Q)p6sppp]266|200[/hv]

 

2♠ by declarer was a balanced invitation to game, not a real spade suit.

 

You start out with the ace of clubs, partner playing the 5, declarer the 9. You play UDCA. What is your continuation?

 

 

 

There is only one continuation to beat this contract

 

[dwar0123]

At the table I would have led a heart.

 

Edit: Sigh

Thx gnasher, I think I will just goto bed.

[gnasher]

There's a risk of a trump squeeze if declarer has xx Axxx AQxx Jxx or Jx Axxx AQx 10xxx. For this to work, he has to have four hearts, because it needs two entries to dummy after cashing the side winners. However, if that's the layout there's nothing I can do about it, and anyway I expect RHO would have shown his hearts instead of bidding 2♠.

 

If declarer has Jx Axx Axxx J109x (or clubs as bad as J97x), I have to switch to a diamond now to stop him setting up the club winner. On a trump switch he wins the jack, leads ♣J covered and ruffed, draws trumps, and uses his two aces to set up and cash the long club. The diamond switch removes one of his non-trump entries prematurely.

 

However, that requires him to have a fairly specific hand: ♠J, no ♥10, no ♦Q, and good enough clubs. The diamond switch would let it through if he had Jx Axx AQxx 109xx, which looks more like a balanced invitation. Hence I think it's better to defend passively.

 

dwar0123: I think you may have misunderstood the diagram. Dummy is on our left.

[y66]

I'll try a club hoping pard started with Jxx xxxxx xxxx x and declarer started with xx ATx AQxx JT974.

 

I don't see how declarer is making this if he can't set up a club and I don't see how we stop him from making if he has 4 or more clubs to J9 plus jack of spades plus 2 red aces.

[Phil]

Good hand.

 

Not much to add to Gnasher's except a trump squeeze is very unlikely, unless these are very bad methods and that declarer can have four hearts.

[CSGibson]

There's a risk of a trump squeeze if declarer has xx Axxx AQxx Jxx or Jx Axxx AQx 10xxx. For this to work, he has to have four hearts, because it needs two entries to dummy after cashing the side winners. However, if that's the layout there's nothing I can do about it,

 

The first did happen to be the layout. Doesn't a high club continuation break up the trump squeeze? I didn't see it at the table, and dismissed that as less likely than your other examples, for the record, but was later wondering if I should have been able to guess to break up the squeeze position with a high club continuation based on the info I had at trick one.

[Phil]

The first did happen to be the layout. Doesn't a high club continuation break up the trump squeeze?

 

Yes with Jxx, no on Txxx I do not think.

[Statto]

For a passive continuation I'd try a low ♣, as it gives declarer a chance to go wrong. With ♠Jx-♥Axx-♦AQxx-♣J109x, declarer has to guess, though on the actual layout should be able to work out the only chance is to throw a ♦ and let it run round to the winning ♣J.