Counting for beginners

[lamford]

[hv=pc=n&s=sakqjt976h43d83c8&n=s3hkjdkj62cakq762&d=w&v=e&b=16&a=p1c1d1sp2np4cp4hd6sp6nppdppp]266|200[/hv]

East leads the nine of clubs against your optimistic 6NT by North. Everyone follows to three top clubs. Can you see a way to make this contract, not found by a gold medallist in the World Youth Congress in Atlanta 2013, in the recent Philadelphia nationals?

[eagles123]

wow

[neilkaz]

Huh? I do understand that this is BI but when each opp follows to 3 top ♣, the suit has split 33 so the remaining ♣ are good. This is exactly what declarer must be on the lookout for!

[Cyberyeti]

Only thing I can think is that he thought he only had 5 clubs.

[lamford]

Only thing I can think is that he thought he only had 5 clubs.

I think it as likely that he assumed they were 4-2 and did not look ...

[Cyberyeti]

I think it as likely that he assumed they were 4-2 and did not look ...

 

Ah the reverse of discarding a spade and hoping declarer thinks it's a club, follow suit in a way that declarer thinks it's a spade :)

[lamford]

Ah the reverse of discarding a spade and hoping declarer thinks it's a club, follow suit in a way that declarer thinks it's a spade :)

Yes the standard method is to think about a discard and then play a "spade" without showing it properly. An alternative is to discard and hope that declarer does not notice until the cards are taken out for the next board, as the revoke can then not be corrected. You have to keep the club until trick thirteen of course, so you would be "squeezed" if you had a red ace.