How to play this hand

[xx1943]

[hv=pc=n&s=skqj75h98dkq8caj7&n=sat6hak7652dac984&d=e&v=0&b=14&a=p1sp2hp2np3s(game%20force%203%20spade%20cards)p(game%20force%203%20spades)4c(cue)p4n(RKCB)p5s(2%20keys%20and%20spade%20Q)p7sppp]266|200[/hv]

Seeing both hands 7♠ is a resonable contract. But it is not easy to bid.

Which contract do you reach with your favorite partner?

 

You make your contract against any lead if spades are and hearts 3=2.

The plan is to draw 2 rounds of trumps and ruff a heart high. ♠A is the entry to the long hearts.

The 5th trump is the reentry to your hand to enjoy ♦KQ.

 

Do you see any way to make 6 or 7 spade against 4=1 distribution in one of the major suits?

 

This is the traveller. Only 5 out of 35 declarer made 13 tricks in spades.

 

Here is the screenshot. I don't know, how long the link is valid.

 

[Hanoi5]

You can try ruffing two clubs in dummy. That will succeed if spades are 4-1 but hearts 3-2 (or 4-1 with the same guy holding 4 cards in both Majors). Clubs will have to be 5-2 at most and diamonds 6-3.

[kenberg]

Hanoi's line, put in while I was typing this, seems better.

 

My thought was:

 

I think there is a way, and maybe it has better chances. Assume an opening club lead. We will play for 3-2 hearts, so we cash the top hearts. If this holds, we cash the diamond ace and lead another heart. If rho follows then we need spades to be 3-2 so we ruff high and hope. But suppose it is rho who shows out. Ruff low, cash the high diamonds throwing clubs. If the diamonds stand up, we are probably making this. Ace of clubs, ruff a club low, ruff a hearts high back to hand, ruff a club high, cash dummy's remaining high trump. One of your small trumps ruffed a heart, one of them just went under dummy's high heart, your hand is down to two high trump.

 

Is this better? I am not sure. Early cashing of the top hearts is not dangerous if the original line of play needs hearts to be 3-2 anyway. After that hurdle is past, the problem is how much risk to tolerate to cope with the 4-1 spades. When the third heart was led from dummy, rho could pitch one diamond and then, perhaps, ruff the third round of diamonds. That requires diamonds to be 6-3 or worse, and for rho to be short in hearts and short in diamonds. There are other things that could go wrong, but, for example, a club overruff seems unlikely if the diamond plays survive. Probably this line of play, with an option after the third heart is played from dummy, gives a slightly better chance than a line that totally depends on 3-2 in both majors.

[billw55]

As an aside, I thought the software only accomodated 16 comparisons per board? If more really works, can we get them in the other arenas?