Suit combo: AJxx/K9xx

[Chamaco]

Hi all,

yesterday I was browsing through the "Suit combination flashcards" by Alan Truscott, and this rather common suit combo drew my attention.

 

AJxx

K9xx

 

I got right the solution of how to play it for 3 tricks (given here in hidden text):

 

 

this is a standard safety play, and follows the general principle "keep intact the lower tenace". Here the lower tenace is K9, so I cash Ace and lead to the 9, if east shows out I can still lead to the unsupported J, if west shows out, the Ten has been successfully finessed.

 

 

Instead, my choice in the play for 4 tricks was not the one illustrated by Truscott.

My choice was (hidden text):

 

cash K (caters for stiff honor) and lead to J.

 

 

Instead, Truscott just says (hidden text):

 

lead to J right away, cashing K first would be a mistake,

 

but does not elaborate further on why my choice is a mistake.

Anyone cares to explain pls ?

 

Thanks !!

 

Mauro

[Gerben42]

[hv=n=saj32&w=st876&e=sq&s=sk954]399|300|[/hv]

Here is your stiff honor combination.

If you cash the King, the Queen drops. Look what happens now (hidden for security reasons):

 

 

The T87 will make a trick eventually.

If the stiff honor is on the other side leading low towards the Jack will also catch it

 

 

[ochinko]

[hv=n=saj32&w=st876&e=sq&s=sk954  

here is your stiff honor combination.

if you cash the king, the queen drops. look what happens now (hidden for security reasons):

 

 

the t87 will make a trick eventually.

if the stiff honor is on the other side leading low towards the jack will also catch it

 

you are right, except that you don't catch it. it's just that if there is a stiff queen in east, you still have to concede a trick to the remaining t87 in west, so you can't make all 4 tricks, and there's no point in cashing the king first.

 

on the other hand, by starting with the finesse you can catch 10876 in east when you win the queen with the ace and on the jack west shows out. that's why starting with the king makes no sense here.

 

aj32 q 10876 k9xx]399|300|[/hv]   Petko   P.S. Hidden text seems to make sense only for the first post, so I skipped it.

[Gerben42]

This reminds me of a similar suit combination I did wrong at the time in a national junior championship. At the time my opponent, who already was a great player then, told me how it worked. Last year he played in the Olympiad final...

 

[hv=n=saj32&w=s9&e=sqt76&s=sk854]399|300|[/hv]

 

For 3 tricks play the same way as the suit combination where you have the 9 to guard against the singleton 9 or 10.