4H at MP

[kayin801]

[hv=pc=n&s=sqhakt65dq94ckj53&n=st97hq87dat52ca97&d=s&v=b&b=7&a=1hp1n2s3c3s4hppp]266|200[/hv]

 

Thought this hand was an interesting play problem, took a while for me to decide on a line. LHO leads the ♠4 (2/4) to the K and A. You ruff, LHO playing the ♠ 5. The format was MP, but I'd solicit IMPs opinions too.

 

If you try to draw trumps starting in hand:

 

LHO plays the 2 and RHO the 9

 

then if you continue:

 

RHO! has J9xx

 

 

If you try the club finesse at some point:

 

it wins

 

[gnasher]

My plan would be to play three rounds of trumps ending in dummy, then try a diamond to the queen. RHO is likely to have ♦K, given the vulnerable overcall on AKJxx. Later, I'd probably take a club finesse against RHO, planning a minor-suit squeeze against LHO. At IMPs I might leave clubs alone and play more diamonds, with the idea of using the fourth diamond to endplay LHO.

 

Having cashed ♥AK, I'm not very well placed when LHO shows out. I'd probably run ♦9 next.

[kayin801]

On the actual hand the overcaller had AKJxx, J9xx, x, Qxx.

 

I tried a diamond towards dummy at trick 3, intending to play the A and immediately finesse in clubs. LHO split his diamond honors though, so I won, tried 2 rounds of trump, then hooked the club. Think I eventually lost a diamond and a trump but the contract came in. Wonder if aiming for 11 tricks is optimistic. On my line I guess I make 10 if I play both round suits correctly, but I was aiming to play RHO for the diamond K and club Q and could afford to do so if trumps were 3-2.