Defend 2NT

[awm]

[hv=pc=n&s=sq865hjt63dq64c63&e=s942hkq75d753cq97&d=e&v=0&b=14&a=ppp1cp1hd(t/o%20of%20%21h)2nppp]266|200[/hv]

 

You are east. You lead the ♦7 and:

 

1. ♦7-♦4-♦2-♦J

2. ♥A-♥5-♥3-♥9

3. ♥2-♥Q-♥6-♠J

 

Your signals are UDCA and lavinthal (suit preference) discards. What's going on, and what is your next play?

[Fluffy]

partner has ♦A with 5 or more, maybe ♦K as well, I can't work a lie out where cashing ♥K now is vital and declarer didn't missplay, so diamond now.

[sieong]

What if declarer has AKx Axxx Jx AKx? If you do not cash your ♥K now, declarer will have 8 tricks (4♠-1♥-1♦-2♣). Or would you consider that an irrational line of play by declarer?

[Phil]

edit

[Fluffy]

What if declarer has AKx Axxx Jx AKx? If you do not cash your ♥K now, declarer will have 8 tricks (4♠-1♥-1♦-2♣). Or would you consider that an irrational line of play by declarer?

 

It looks weird to play for diamonds 4-4 after ♦7 lead, when spades can easilly be 3-3, I don't think it is impossible, but it falls into restricted choice at least (declarer could had tried to cash 8, and didn't, therefore he is more likelly to not have 8 tricks on top)

[mikeh]

What if declarer has AKx Axxx Jx AKx? If you do not cash your ♥K now, declarer will have 8 tricks (4♠-1♥-1♦-2♣). Or would you consider that an irrational line of play by declarer?

I consider declarer's card-sorting and bidding to be irrational, but I can't criticize his line of play considering he has fewer cards that the other players at the table. In addition, his holding 12 cards gives my partner 14, which certainly justifies his takeout double.

(sorry, sieong...couldn't resist. I've posted my share of 12 card hands, so don't take it too hard:))

[mikeh]

The deeper I look the more puzzled I am.

 

I start with the idea that partner has to have had J109x in spades and has thrown away his stopper, generating an important trick for declarer. That is usually a sign that it is imperative that we cash out.

 

Any cash out means he has AKxxx in diamonds, and I can't find many constructions on which declarer has a 2N rebid. Surely he is likely to be 3=4=3=3?

 

If he is, then partner can't be cashing out in diamonds.

 

Can he have J109x x Axxx AJ10x? And declarer AKx Axxx KJ10 Kxx?

 

No, because he shouldn't encourage in diamonds and he should have pitched a preserved diamond 2 on the second heart rather than establish the 8th trick for declarer.

 

How about J109x x Axxxx Axx? No, because he'd never pitch the spade, and he still shouldn't, imo, signal this way with, say, J109x x Axxxx KJx. Otoh, that makes for a more plausible 2N rebid, with KJ in diamonds rather that the dubious 3=4=2=4 with that well-known stopper, Jx in diamonds.

 

I suspect I'll have an 'oh yes' moment when the answer is revealed but for now I am going to trust partner and cash the heart and lead the diamond.

 

Forget all of the above....for some reason I assumed dummy held our club Q! Oh well

Edited November 18, 2012 by mikeh

[quiddity]

The deeper I look the more puzzled I am.

 

I start with the idea that partner has to have had J109x in spades..

 

.. but then I look at my own spade holding?

[Fluffy]

I don't really understand your POV mikeh, cashing ♥K now makes 4 heart tricks into the equation, 1 for us and 1 for opps, what if we don't cash it?, well then those 2 tricks would go to other suits (or declarer would have to give us ♥K later, so no materr).... wich ones?, we have the slow tricks in diamonds and clubs! we don't want to share tricks in hearts because that means we give up tricks in other suits in order to trade 1 trick each in hearts.

 

If we didn't have ♣Q this would be harder, but with ♣Q is kinda easy there is only 1 lie out where cashing ♥K is needed, and that is declarer having ♠AKx ♥Axxx ♦Jx ♣AKxx, a pretty specific one, and declarer has already missplayed not cashing his cold 8 tricks from the start.