Try your hands at these two tough contracts

[shevek]

[hv=pc=n&s=saqht84d53cakt986&n=s82hk765daqj982c3&d=w&v=n&b=12&a=2d(multi%2C%203-7%20pts)3d3h(p%2Fc)d3spp3n]266|200[/hv]

 

West leads ♠7, 3rds & 5ths - 2 - K - A.

You take a diamond finesse: 3 - 6 - Q - 4.

Now what?

 

 

 

And this one:

[hv=pc=n&s=sqjt76hajt9d7ca97&n=sak92h72da84ckj42]133|200[/hv]

 

You play 6♠/S on ♦T lead. They know that you are 5-4-1-3. They didn't bid.

Heart finesse at trick two loses to ♥K.

Ruff the next diamond, cash ♣A, draw trumps ending in dummy. East had 3 of them.

You lead a heart off dummy. Small. And you?

(Feel free to dispute the early play)

 

 

 

Bonus bidding question:

[hv=pc=n&s=sk53hat842daj4ckq&d=w&v=n&b=12&a=pp3c]133|200[/hv]

 

Enjoy

[nige1]

[hv=pc=n&s=saqht84d53cakt986&n=s82hk765daqj982c3&d=w&v=n&b=12&a=2d(multi%2C%203-7%20pts)3d3h(p%2Fc)d3spp3n]266|200| Shevek's 1st problem "West leads ♠7, 3rds & 5ths - 2 - K - A.. You take a diamond finesse: 3 - 6 - Q - 4. Now what?"

 

 

Guess: ♣AKT

If ♣quack appears on the first 2 rounds then discard a ♥ and a ♦.

Otherwise discard 2 ♥s.

[/hv][hv=pc=n&s=sqjt76hajt9d7ca97&n=sak92h72da84ckj42]133|200| Shevek's 2nd problem "You play 6♠/S on ♦T lead. They know that you are 5-4-1-3. They didn't bid.

Heart finesse at trick two loses to ♥K.

Ruff the next diamond, cash ♣A, draw trumps ending in dummy. East had 3 of them.

You lead a heart off dummy. Small. And you? (Feel free to dispute the early play)"

 

 

Perhaps ♦A, ruff a ♦, ♠K, ruff a ♦, ♠A, finesse ♥J

[/hv][hv=pc=n&s=sk53hat842daj4ckq&d=w&v=n&b=12&a=pp3c]133|200| Shevek's "Bonus bidding question:"

 

I rank

1. Double = T/O. If partner replies 3♠ then 3N. Hoping to express doubt.

2. 3♥ = NAT.

3. 3N = NAT. But [CL}KQ is an inflexible stop.

 

 

[/hv]

[rhm]

1) Play as Nige1 suggests.

2) I would not have played that way. Now I see nothing better than taking the heart finesse and if the queen does not drop on the next round take the club finesse.

The second heart finesse should have been avoided:

After ruffing the diamond, ♥A and if no queen drops ruff a heart high.

If no queen drops, trump to hand, ruff your last heart high, draw trumps and take the club finesse.

3) 3NT, ♣KQ maybe an inflexible stop, but I expect a spade lead and ♣KQ is even more inflexible should partner bid clubs in response to a takeout double.

 

Rainer Herrmann

[rhm]

deleted

[manudude03]

I agree with nige1 on the first two.

 

I'll bid 3H on the bidding problem, not happy with it but I think it's successful more often than double.

 

3) 3NT, ♣KQ maybe an inflexible stop, but I expect a spade lead and ♣KQ is even more inflexible should partner bid clubs in response to a takeout double.

 

They opened 3C, not 3S.

[Kaitlyn S]

1. Play as nige suggests.

2. Play as rhm suggests.

3. My initial actions tend to be strong over a preempt so if I decided to double and partner bid 3S, I would pass, but my regular partners would bid 4S over my double with AJTxx, xx, KTxx, xx..

[shevek]

The full hands ....

 

 

 

[hv=pc=n&s=saqht84d53cakt986&w=s976543ha32dt6c54&n=s82hk765daqj982c3&e=skjthqj9dk74cqj72&d=w&v=n&b=12&a=2d(multi%2C%203-7%20pts)3d3h(p%2Fc)d3spp3nppp]399|300[/hv]

 

♠7 led, East playing ♠K.

The first point being that spades are blocked. West could have this suit or maybe ♠J97xxx.

Winning is to retake the diamond hook, then cross to the ♥K, almost certain to win.

What you can't do is cash ♣AK first, which gives them 5 tricks to cash.

If you think spades are not blocked and decide to go for clubs, have to hook ♣10. Actual club layout and West having ♣Hx are equivalent.

 

 

[hv=pc=n&s=sqjt76hajt9d7ca97&w=s4hk643dkt9653c63&n=sak92h72da84ckj42&e=s853hq85dqj2cqt85]399|300[/hv]

 

6♠/S on ♦10 lead. You take the heart hook, then draw some trumps (okay 2 is better) and lead a heart off dummy.

Restricted choice suggest trying for ♥Qxx onside before turning to clubs but the 1-3 trump break slightly skews it.

Would feel bad if it lost with the club hook working. Most got it right.

 

 

[hv=pc=n&s=sk53hat842daj4ckq&w=sajt87hk73d9765c2&n=s42hq96dkt32ct987&e=sq96hj5dq8caj6543&d=w&v=n&b=12&a=pp3c]399|300[/hv]

 

I could have asked what you do if you double and partner bids 3♦.

Anyway, 3♥ seems "best" for -100.

Double then 3NT looks like -200 on a spade lead. Worse on a club lead and ♠Q switch.

Double then passing 3♦ could be -300 when partner gets trumps wrong.

 

Double is flexible of course and gains when partner has a 5-carder. Against that, you will miss a heart fit, when partner has 4-3 majors.

 

With the actual, double then 3♥ would work, problem being that partner would take you for (a) a better hand and suit or (b) 4-5 majors if you you play Equal Level Conversion here.

[nige1]

If you think spades are not blocked and decide to go for clubs, have to hook ♣10. Actual club layout and West having ♣Hx are equivalent.

West might have a singleton quack.

[Fluffy]

West might have a singleton quack.

 

or ♣QJ, or 8 different Hx doubletons vs only 6 diferent xx doubletons

[nige1]

Shevek's hands illustrate that, at Bridge, as in life, virtue often goes unrewarded :(

[shevek]

or ♣QJ, or 8 different Hx doubletons vs only 6 diferent xx doubletons

 

 

 

Against that, 5-1 clubs favour taking the hook. Give East something like

 

♠KJT ♥xxx ♦Kx ! ♣QJxxx

 

Now hooking ♣10 gains because you find out next trick that clubs won't come in while there is still time to revert to diamonds.

It's close ....