defend 5D

[kgr]

[hv=pc=n&w=skt84hk4dakckj976&n=s532haqt5d72ca532&d=w&v=0&b=8&a=1c(16+pnts)p1h(8-9%20pts)p1n(balanced)p2c(stayman)p2sp3d(natural)p3np4n(blackwood)p5d(1-4%20of%204)ppp]266|200[/hv]

Opps play strong Club. (It makes my defense worse, I find it more difficult for my focus).

Partner starts the defense with ♠Q lead :(. This promises exactly 4c♠ for QJ. East takes the A in his hand and plays a Heart to the K and your Ace.

How do you continue and how obvious is it?

[CamHenry]

Opps play strong Club. (It makes my defense worse, I find it more difficult for my focus).

Partner starts the defense with ♠Q lead :(. This promises exactly 4c♠ for QJ. East takes the A in his hand and plays a Heart to the K and your Ace.

How do you continue and how obvious is it?

 

Well, E shouldn't have two heart losers for his Blackwood call, and he's obviously got exactly 2 spades. That means he's 2=1=6=4, most likely (could be 2=1=7=3). In either of those cases, ♣A and a ♣ ruff looks sound.

 

However, why did he play a heart up? With just one heart in hand he should consider the immediate spade finesse and then ditch the heart loser on the next spade. He's clearly short on entries to hand (other than a spade ruff), and he might be 2=2=6=3 or 2=2=7=2 (yuck). Are oppo actually any good?

 

If declarer has 3 clubs, ace-and-ruff still beats them - especially if I play a low club for the ruff in order to take the heart return. The problematic layout is when declarer is 2=2=7=2, when ace-and-club gives the contract away. Downside of an immediate heart play is that it costs if declarer's 2=1=7=3 (he can then draw trumps in two rounds, knock out my club and claim).

 

I'm playing ace and a small club.

[wyman]

Isn't declarer 2470 since he stayman'd (and didn't pitch his stiff club on the 3rd spade)? If 2C doesn't promise a major for them, I'd like to know. Doesn't make sense given KC but...

 

We can't force ruffs in dummy to promote some trump honor in p's hand without P holding the HJ, in which case declarer can only come to 3+0+7+0=10 anyway if we start on trumps right now.

 

edit: changed "riffs" to "ruffs"

Edited March 26, 2013 by wyman

[kgr]

Isn't declarer 2470 since he stayman'd (and didn't pitch his stiff club on the 3rd spade)? If 2C doesn't promise a major for them, I'd like to know. Doesn't make sense given KC but...

 

We can't force riffs in dummy to promote some trump honor in p's hand without P holding the HJ, in which case declarer can only come to 3+0+7+0=10 anyway if we start on trumps right now.

Yes,

dummy told me that he thought that declarer has a 4 card H.

[PhilKing]

I think I will switch to a trump and duck the second heart.

 

The critical hand is when declarer has ♠Ax ♥Jxxx ♦QJxxxxx ♣-. If we duck the second heart, there is a fair to middling chance that declarer will play for Qxx offside.

[wyman]

I think I will switch to a trump and duck the second heart.

 

The critical hand is when declarer has ♠Ax ♥Jxxx ♦QJxxxxx ♣-. If we duck the second heart, there is a fair to middling chance that declarer will play for Qxx offside.

 

Nice. This can't hurt either, since partner has a trump to return if he has the J.

[kgr]

Thanks all for the answers

Full hands were:

[hv=pc=n&w=skt84hk4dakckj976&n=s532haqt5d72ca532&e=sa7h8732dqjt8643c&d=w&v=0&b=8&a=1c(16+pnts)p1h(8-9%20pts)p1n(balanced)p2c(stayman)p2sp3d(natural)p3np4n(blackwood)p5d(1-4%20of%204)ppp]366|300[/hv]

Opps play strong Club. (It makes my defense worse, I find it more difficult for my focus).

Partner starts the defense with ♠Q lead :(. This promises exactly 4c♠ for QJ. East takes the A in his hand and plays a Heart to the K and your Ace.

 

This was deal 40. I played ♥Q and ♣A. I was afraid that declarer would finesse ♠ and trow a ♣ on the 3rd ♠. But, as said above, he could have done that before. And thinking about that: If declarer leads ♣ from dummy, I should duck.

 

Note that declarer can still make after a ♦ return, but he will very likely go down.

[wyman]

Note that declarer can still make after a ♦ return, but he will very likely go down.

 

Awesome. By leading the club king from dummy, declarer can transfer the club guard to south, exposing south to a black suit squeeze.

[kgr]

Awesome. By leading the club king from dummy, declarer can transfer the club guard to south, exposing south to a black suit squeeze.

right, I should have returned trump to give declarer the change for this nice play :)