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Defense


kfay

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Saw this decent problem today on Vugraph:

 

[hv=pc=n&n=s64ha54dkqt2cq642&e=sak9hj2da753ck975&d=e&v=0&b=14&a=1n2h(5+%21H%2C%204+minor)2s4hppp]266|200[/hv]

 

T1: jack, 4, KING, seven

 

Your lead

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It is reasonable to ask why partner didn'[t lead his singleton in declarer's minor. The reason would seem to be he has a void so responder has five hearts (or six) and a five card minor, and at least two spades (since he seems surely to hold the Q).

 

So one must decide which hand South would try 2 on...

 

Q x (x)

K Q x x x (x)

void or (x) or (J)

A J T 8 x

 

OR

 

Q x (x)

K Q x x x (x)

J 9 8 6 4

void or (x) or (A) or (J)

 

 

When you make your best guess at which suit partner is void in, return that suit. Partner will ruff and return a spade since he knows you don't have the Q. Which would you guess?

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It is reasonable to ask why partner didn'[t lead his singleton in declarer's minor. The reason would seem to be he has a void so responder has five hearts (or six) and a five card minor, and at least two spades (since he seems surely to hold the Q).

 

So one must decide which hand South would try 2 on...

 

Q x (x)

K Q x x x (x)

void or (x) or (J)

A J T 8 x

 

OR

 

Q x (x)

K Q x x x (x)

J 9 8 6 4

void or (x) or (A) or (J)

 

 

When you make your best guess at which suit partner is void in, return that suit. Partner will ruff and return a spade since he knows you don't have the Q. Which would you guess?

 

I would play for the first type. Becuase even if we guess wrong and declarer happens to hold diamond suit, he still can't make with 3-5-5-0(he would be forced).

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I would cash the second spade.

1. I will get a signal from partner.

2. If I lead a minor and I am wrong, I am not sure wheter declarer cannot discard his second spade from dummy if he holds 6 hearts...

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Partner should have a 6-card to bid, otherwise he might pass with only 5 and 2 or 3 low .

He should have a void in declarer's minor or he would have led a singleton in that minor.

His most probable distribution is therefore 6-3-4-0 or 6-3-0-4.

As Codo said, cashing a second will allow partner to signal his void.

 

Two , A and a ruff should be OK for one down.

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Partner should have a 6-card to bid, otherwise he might pass with only 5 and 2 or 3 low .

He should have a void in declarer's minor or he would have led a singleton in that minor.

His most probable distribution is therefore 6-3-4-0 or 6-3-0-4.

As Codo said, cashing a second will allow partner to signal his void.

 

Two , A and a ruff should be OK for one down.

9

 

A singleton lead would certainly have looked more attractive to West after this bidding, so West has a void in a minor.

In the critical case where South is void in diamonds and West void in clubs you have no diamond ace coming and cashing a second spade lets the contract make.

In this case you need to switch to clubs immediately.

Declarer can not be void in clubs because partner would not have bid 2 with a diamond void and a good club suit, neither would he pass 4.

Declarer is marked with the ace of clubs.

A club switch looses only if partner has specifically

 

JT8532 xxx - JT83

 

I bet against this and I am not sure he would bid that way with a six card spade suit and void at all white.

Why partner can not have a five card spade suit escapes me. But in this case he must be void in clubs and declarer void in diamonds.

Lead 9 at trick 2

Partner should have made your defense easier by leading an alarm clock signal. The J is not a good card, no matter what this spade holding is.

A high spade spot card lead might hint at a diamond switch, while the lowest spade might indicate a club preference.

 

Rainer Herrmann

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I really hate it that BBF creates the diagrams for two hands like this. It must have happened the thousands time that I did not realize that dummy is on my left at the diagramm but at the right in the play. :(
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9

 

Partner should have made your defense easier by leading an alarm clock signal. The J is not a good card, no matter what this spade holding is.

A high spade spot card lead might hint at a diamond switch, while the lowest spade might indicate a club preference.

 

Rainer Herrmann

sorry for the partial quote lots of good material. The alarm clock signal works well when playing 4th

best when the bidding promises 5 or more in a suit. The lowest card can be a great lead director.

Unfortunately if playing 3/5 the lowest card is far too often nothing more than 5th best from 5. I totally

agree with the high spade spot (not the J) to ask for a dia return.

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off topic IMO next time just make the safer 4s bid and you will

probably have far fewer ulcers in the long run. P bid 2s they need

have a competitive hand and their spade length makes your spade

AK far less likely to be winners and your club K certainly looks l much

more likely to be pickupable. The worst case scenario for 4s should be

around down 2. It is a decent form of insurance with little downside

and lots of upside if the opps stretch too far going to 5h.

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off topic IMO next time just make the safer 4s bid and you will

probably have far fewer ulcers in the long run. P bid 2s they need

have a competitive hand and their spade length makes your spade

AK far less likely to be winners and your club K certainly looks l much

more likely to be pickupable. The worst case scenario for 4s should be

around down 2. It is a decent form of insurance with little downside

and lots of upside if the opps stretch too far going to 5h.

 

What about when it's -3 into a 4 contract that can be set (as here)?

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