Thursday's suit combination

[fred]

J987

 

Axxx

 

You need 3 tricks.

 

A discussion of a similar combination took place recently on rec.games.bridge. If you read the answer there or have seen this problem before, please give the rest of the Forums people a chance to work it out on their own!

 

Fred Gitelman

Bridge Base Inc.

www.bridgebase.com

 

PS This is another hard one!

[Free]

Hmmm this is one I haven't seen before... But I think I've had many such hands and I probably would play low to the 9 (and hope T is onside), followed by J and hope the T drops. I just wonder if Tx is more frequent than a stiff honour.

[flytoox]

Lead small spade from Axxx to J987. Then Jack back. Honestly, I choose playing so not because I am sure this is the right play but because this is such a nice play that I cannot resist to try. It is just like that false carding 9 from T9x works so well is not because the false carding is so good but because that declarer will enjoy more if he can pin down the T than playing dropping ace.

 

You win when LHO has singelton T, Tx, QT,KT.

 

You lose when LHO has KTxx,QTxx.

[fred]

And what do you do if LHO plays an honor on the first round?

 

Fred Gitelman

Bridge Base Inc.

www.bridgebase.com

[Free]

And what do you do if LHO plays an honor on the first round?

 

Fred Gitelman

Bridge Base Inc.

www.bridgebase.com

Small in dummy B)

 

Hmmm, still try to drop the T under my Jack I guess

[Flame]

Play A and then small.

explaning:

Holdings on which you have a chance:

1. sgl honor on RHO hand.

2. KQ doublton on either hand

3. H10 on LHO.

4. 10 sgl on LHO

5. i mention it at the end

playing the A and then low to the 9 will work for the fisrt two.

Playing small will work for option 3 or 2 or 1 or 4 but not together.

After playign small if LHO play an honor you will ned to choose between 2 and 3.

IF LHO play 10 you need to choose between 1 and 2.

Since you cant mix them you better go for the better chance of 2 and 1 together, which are together better then either option by itself.

editint, i forgot the 10x case, but its just the same as before, if i play small to the 9 taken by an honor, i have to choose again betwen playing for 10x or other lines, which still doesnt get me better then KQ either hand or H sgl RHO

Edited January 7, 2005 by Flame

[Chamaco]

This is just to say that a these posts on suit combinations are great !

I really do hope they continue !! B)

 

Regardless of whether they become periodical or just occasional, they will be summarized in the BBF FAQs :-)

[fred]

And what do you do if LHO plays an honor on the first round?

 

Fred Gitelman

Bridge Base Inc.

www.bridgebase.com

Small in dummy B)

 

Hmmm, still try to drop the T under my Jack I guess

And if LHO follows with the 10 on the first round?

 

Fred Gitelman

Bridge Base Inc.

www.bridgebase.com

[luke warm]

if low and lho plays an honor you have to play the same way i think... it can't be made if rho has H, 10, x anyway, assuming lho plays H on 1st lead, so assume lho (if he plays an honor 1st) has H, 10

 

i don't know but it seems you can't make the hand unless lho has the 10 doubleton, with or without an honor

 

edit: by "the same way" above i meant lead the J on the 2nd round

[DrTodd13]

Looks like your standard intrafinesse to me. Low to the 9 then J pinning the T.

 

Todd

[Chamaco]

Low to the 9,

 

CASE 1

if that holds, I run J;

 

CASE 2

If LHO raises with a honor, I have 3 choices:

 

a. run the 9

b. run the J

c. cash A and hope to drop the other honor

 

a. run the 9

It works ONLY with RHO holding both remaining key cards

 

b. run the J

It works ONLY if LHO started with exactly doubleton H10

 

c. cash Ace

It works in all configurations where either opp started with doubleton with the remaining honor

 

So, in case 2, I cash the Ace

[Cascade]

Hmmm this is one I haven't seen before... But I think I've had many such hands and I probably would play low to the 9 (and hope T is onside), followed by J and hope the T drops. I just wonder if Tx is more frequent than a stiff honour.

There are precisely two "distributions" for each case. There are two Tx's with LHO and two singleton honours (not 10) with RHO.

 

However always other things being equal the more even "distributions" are more frequent.

 

Therefore in this case 10x with LHO is more likely than stiff high honour with RHO.

[luke warm]

CASE 1

if that holds, I run J

 

it can't hold.. that means lho started with K,Q 3rd or 4th, and he'd certainly rise with that

 

CASE 2

a. run the 9

It works ONLY with RHO holding both remaining key cards

 

i don't think so mauro.. rho would have H, 10 left and would cover whatever is played from dummy

[HeartA]

There are two cases I could get 3 tricks.

 

Case 1, East holds singleton K or Q, or KQ doubleton in either hand. In this case I cash Ace and then play small from hand toward dummy.

 

Case 2, West holds singleton 10 or 10x doubleton. In this case, I play small toward dummy first, and cover whatever card West plays, and finesse back (if West plays small, I play small from dummy and play Jack back).

 

There are 3 distributions in each case. But to play small first is slightly better, in case you change your mind because whatever reason (hcp calculation, for example) and decide to drop East with KQ doubleton.

[Chamaco]

CASE 2

a. run the 9

It works ONLY with RHO holding both remaining key cards

 

i don't think so mauro.. rho would have H, 10 left and would cover whatever is played from dummy

hehe, u right of course Jimmy :D

3.10 am here lol but I doubt I'd play better during daytime ! B)

[EricK]

It's the middle of the night here, and that is my excuse for any errors I might make B)

 

I could cash the A first which picks up singleton Honour on my right or KQ tight in either hand. This doesn't seem too likely.

 

Or I could play for a doubleton T onside (either HT or Tx) by leading low towards dummy and either pinning the Ten on the second round (if LHO plays H or x) or dropping his now bare honour (if he plays T).

 

The problem with this line is that if LHO plays the T. If this is a singleton or from Tx, I should finesse on the second round; if from HT then I should play the Ace next.

 

So it seems if I am going to play small then LHO should play the T from either doubleton holding. Now if LHO goes up with an honour on the first round am I right to abandon my initial plan and play for him to hold both honours? If so, then it seems that LHO should sometimes play the H from HT, but always play the T from Tx.

 

But if LHO always plays the T from Tx what should I do if he plays small? If I can discount Tx, then I must play him for Txx and drop both honours offside. So if he wants to protect his partner he must sometimes play x from Tx.

 

So if my reasoning is correct (and I am not at all sure that it is!) then I can't really deduce anything from the card LHO plays. Which means I ought to just ignore LHO's card and play for doubleton T onside if he plays H or x, but play for Tx or T if he plays the T.

 

Eric

[luke warm]

3.10 am here lol but I doubt I'd play better during daytime

 

of course you do, i've seen you play B) .... hell i get up every morning at 4:30 and i'm mentally dead at 8 pm, so i know how bad i think when my mind is ready to sleep

[HeartA]

Oops, we post almost simultaneouly. Actually, to cash Ace first covers 4 cases: East holds stiff K or Q, or either side has KQ doubleton. While to play small toward dummy first covers West with stiff T or Tx (Tx has two cases, since we have two small cards outside) and KT and QT. To play small toward dummy is slightly better.

[Guest Jlall]

oops changed my mind B)

[fred]

Oops, we post almost simultaneouly. Actually, to cash Ace first covers 4 cases: East holds stiff K or Q, or either side has KQ doubleton. While to play small toward dummy first covers West with stiff T or Tx (Tx has two cases, since we have two small cards outside) and KT and QT. To play small toward dummy is slightly better.

So if you play small toward the dummy and LHO plays the 10, you cover with the J and RHO wins, what are you going to do next?

 

Assuming this happens are you sure you can make it in all of the cases you mention?

 

Fred Gitelman

Bridge Base Inc.

www.bridgebase.com

[HeartA]

Oops, we post almost simultaneouly.  Actually, to cash Ace first covers 4 cases: East holds stiff K or Q, or either side has KQ doubleton.  While to play small toward dummy first covers West with stiff T or Tx (Tx has two cases, since we have two small cards outside) and KT and QT.  To play small toward dummy is slightly better.

So if you play small toward the dummy and LHO plays the 10, you cover with the J and RHO wins, what are you going to do next?

 

Assuming this happens are you sure you can make it in all of the cases you mention?

 

Fred Gitelman

Bridge Base Inc.

www.bridgebase.com

Assume best defense. When I play small toward dummy, I would play J back if I don't see 10. West also knows this line, he would play 10 with 10x to give South a headache. While with QT (KT), West will also play 10. I don't have a clear answer.

 

Fred, are you suggesting that to cash Ace is better?

[fred]

No - I am suggesting that you are trying to have your cake and eat it too if you think you can pick up both 10x and honor doubleton on your left (as I thought your previous post implied).

 

The fact that you can't do this has other implications that I don't think that anyone has properly expressed yet (but I have not read all of the posts carefully so I am not sure about this).

 

Fred Gitelman

Bridge Base Inc.

www.bridgebase.com

[Free]

And what do you do if LHO plays an honor on the first round?

 

Fred Gitelman

Bridge Base Inc.

www.bridgebase.com

Small in dummy :)

 

Hmmm, still try to drop the T under my Jack I guess

And if LHO follows with the 10 on the first round?

 

Fred Gitelman

Bridge Base Inc.

www.bridgebase.com

I think finessing (letting the 9 run I mean) then gives the best chances, since you can handle a 1-4 split now. But if that sneaky LHO has KT or QT, he played his T quite nicely. I guess if I ever have such hand in defense, I now know what to do :D

[Fluffy]

I've always though this was low towards J987, hoping for H10 at the left, but now I realice it covers only 3 cases, K10, Q10 and either 10x or 10xx (at left), you ahve to guess later, wich doesn't look promising.

 

Cashing the Ace covers 10xx, K10xx, Q10xx and KQ at left wich is an improvement already.

 

I don't see any difference between cashing the ace and running the 9, you just hope for a honnor at right to show. If you run and los eot a honnor the only case that wins is KQ bare at left anyway.

[luis]

I'm not sure if this is right

 

I play low to the 9

If RHO plays the T I play the J if that is covered I run the 8 next

If RHO plays the Q or K I play the Ace next (restricted choice)

If RHO plays low I put the 9 from dummy

If the 9 loses to the T I play low to the J next

If the 9 loses to the K or Q I play the J from dummy trying to pin the Ten

 

Maybe I'm not 100% right about the restricted choice porition....