Another cute 4 spade

[MrAce]

[hv=pc=n&s=saj53hkq4d52cakq7&n=skqt7h987dq863c93&d=s&v=n&b=15&a=1cp1s2d4sppp]266|200[/hv]

 

East leads ♦ A and continues with K. On the second ♦ W discards a ♥, East now plays 3rd ♦. (if you ruff high, W discards another ♥)

 

Take it from here. If you cash trumps East will discard a ♣ on 2nd round of trumps.

[johnu]

 

 

I would play East for something like

 

♠x

♥Axx

♦AKJxxx

♣xxx

 

 

After 2 rounds of trump (assuming other high trump in dummy was played already), I would cash 3 rounds of clubs pitching a heart from hand, and finish drawing trumps, pitching a club from dummy.

 

In the 3 card ending, you have

 

♠__

♥98

♦Q

♣__

 

 

♠__

♥KQ4

♦__

♣__

 

 

Assuming East has the ♥A, they are subject to a non material squeeze in diamonds. If east keeps 2 diamonds, they have to blank the heart ace so a heart to dummy will set up the ♥KQ. East has to lead a diamond to your queen, and you have a high heart in dummy. If east keeps only 1 diamond, you can cash the ♦Q pitching the small heart, and lead a heart, making 1 of the last 2 tricks.

 

After the initial club pitch by East, could East by 1=1=6=5 with singleton ♥A? The winning play then is to draw trumps before touching clubs, and 1 lead to dummy will set up 2 heart tricks. I think this is much less likely.

 

 

[rhm]

I am inclined to give East the ♥A, since he might have made a weak jump without it holding good diamonds and a singleton spade at these colors.

Obviously another diamond promotes a trick if West is not out of trumps but drawing trumps you will either loose your diamond trick or control.

 

Play your remaining trump honor from dummy and another one.

It seems also unlikely that a competent East would discard a club from 4 cards on the second round of trumps.

When East discards a club play 2 rounds of clubs. Unless East is 6-6 in the minors West will follow to these.

Then 2 further round of trumps.

When you cash your last trump the scenario is something like this:

 

[hv=pc=n&s=shkq4dcq7&w=s9hxxdcj2&n=sth987dqc&e=shxxxdjtc]399|300[/hv]

 

where the heart ace could be on either side.

East can not afford a diamond discard since you then can cash the diamond queen, so will have to come down to 2 hearts.

You discard your club loser and now play a heart from hand and the defense is helpless. If they duck you simply continue with a low heart.

 

This line looses only if East controls club and West has the ace of hearts.

But then East is 1-1-6-5 and could have beaten the contract with a heart ruff a long time ago.

 

Rainer Herrmann

[MrAce]

Both John and Rainer got it correct.

 

I played this vs GIB. After ruffing 3rd♦ with ♠J, I played small to ♠ K and then played 2nd ♠ to A seeing East discarding a club.

So I cashed 3 clubs and my remaining trumps to come to the position John said and made.

 

I could also made by cashing only 2 ♣ and then playing ♠.

 

@John: You are wrong about the East holding 1-1-6-5 and stiff ♥ A possibility.

 

a- West would then discard his doubleton clubs on diamonds if that was the case.

b- East would have defeated the contract by simply cashing ♥A at T2 and playing small ♦ at T3 to give his pd a ruff and get a ♥ ruff himself.

c- Even if, for the sake of argument, the play proceeded the way it did in OP and W discarded hearts from 5th, and you ruffed with J, cashed 2 spades ending in South, you can still afford to cash 2 clubs.