Know your suit combination

[cherdano]

[hv=pc=n&s=sa8732haj7dqj7c94&n=sjt96h2dak9cj8765]133|200[/hv]

North is dealer, and the unobstructed auction goes

P 1S

2D = 4-card drury, constructive or better 2H = bid game if you have a limit raise

4S= ok

 

Lead is the ♥K.

 

If it matters, LHO is world class. Their opening style is probably typical modern expert style - open most but not all 11 counts.

[Cyberyeti]

It's not a suit combination completely in isolation though.

 

W holdings:

 

void (running J works, cashing A doesn't)

K (finessing twice works, cashing A works, finesse then A doesn't)

Q (finessing twice works, cashing A works, finesse then A doesn't)

5 (running J works, cashing A doesn't)

4 (running J works, cashing A doesn't)

KQ (cashing A works, finessing twice doesn't, running J and following with A does unless he has doubleton club)

K5 (anything works)

K4 (anything works)

Q5 (anything works)

Q4 (anything works)

54 (anything works)

KQ5 (nothing works)

KQ4 (nothing works)

K54 (anything works)

Q54 (anything works)

KQ54 (nothing works)

 

So the 3 options in the key 6 cases, finesse twice works for all but KQ so 5/6, Cashing A is 3/6. finesse then A if doesn't show out is 4/6 barring the doubleton club case.

 

I don't know if there's a case for playing clubs to see if E has all the honours, in which case finesse twice can be ruled out as if E has ♣AKQ he prob doesn't have a non singleton spade honour and certainly doesn't have both, but if he has say ♣AQxx your chances may reduce when the third club is overruffed or either opp may pitch a diamond denying you an entry to dummy.

[FelicityR]

This looks so straightforward there's a catch. Only KQ doubleton is a trump combination that may result in declarer going down, and any savvy defender will win the first finesse with the K. It looks dangerous to try to establish a count (by leading ♣s) of the hand before tackling trumps, but that could lead to some endplays when West holds KQx. Is that the solution?

[Cyberyeti]

This looks so straightforward there's a catch. Only KQ doubleton is a trump combination that may result in declarer going down, and any savvy defender will win the first finesse with the K. It looks dangerous to try to establish a count (by leading ♣s) of the hand before tackling trumps, but that could lead to some endplays when West holds KQx. Is that the solution?

 

It's not the endplay, it's the passed hand aspect, if you know E has ♣AKQ, he certainly doesn't have ♠K, and probably doesn't have the Q, if he has AK or AQ, he won't have both spade honours. If he doesn't have both spade honours, you might as well play ♠Ax.

 

For an endplay to work, E would need to be 3334 and W would need to be unable to win a club and push a trump through, this is not going to happen with W not leading a club

[cherdano]

This looks so straightforward there's a catch. Only KQ doubleton is a trump combination that may result in declarer going down, and any savvy defender will win the first finesse with the K. It looks dangerous to try to establish a count (by leading ♣s) of the hand before tackling trumps, but that could lead to some endplays when West holds KQx. Is that the solution?

So how would you play? What could go wrong?

[wank]

and any savvy defender will win the first finesse with the K.

lol

 

it's just a choice about pumping away at clubs to see if rho has akq but running the risk of rho having a doubleton diamond and getting a ruff.

[FelicityR]

lol

 

it's just a choice about pumping away at clubs to see if rho has akq but running the risk of rho having a doubleton diamond and getting a ruff.

 

I readily admit that I am no super duper expert, but I did ask quite innocently "Is that the solution?" when I suggested that tackling the ♣ suit first instead of trumps was a strange but possible solution. Of course, I would tackle trumps first on this hand, who wouldn't?

[Cyberyeti]

I readily admit that I am no super duper expert, but I did ask quite innocently "Is that the solution?" when I suggested that tackling the ♣ suit first instead of trumps was a strange but possible solution. Of course, I would tackle trumps first on this hand, who wouldn't?

 

If W had been dealer and also passed, I would certainly go for the clubs first, as you could quite possibly rule out him having ♠KQ along with say ♥KQ and ♣K.