Declarer play

[0deary]

Pairs Match Points

 

http://www.bridgebase.com/tools/handviewer.html?s=S75HAKJ6DK3CAKQJ5&d=n&v=o&b=1

 

West opens 2D, North 4S, East pass to you South, and you bid 6N, passed out

 

Dummy: AKQ942, 7, AT65, 87

 

West leads 3H to 7,10 to your J

 

How do you make 13?

[0deary]

So its now:

 

http://www.bridgebase.com/tools/handviewer.html?s=S75HAKJ6DK3CAKQJ5&n=SAKQ942H7DAT65C87&d=n&v=o&b=1

[ahydra]

What's the opponents' lead style? Also, I assume 2D was just a weak two in diamonds?

 

We have 13 top tricks if clubs or spades split, so essentially it's about assuming they don't and figuring out the shapes to determine which squeeze to play. It seems to me that this is incredibly unlikely though - e.g. if East has 4315 then West would have opened 2D with 6 diamonds and 5 hearts, which would be unusual. Perhaps West is 1165 and East 4711, in which case West can be squeezed in the minors. So I'll start with ♥AK (pitching a diamond and a spade) then two top spades.

 

ahydra

[MrAce]

My line:

1-Play AK of ♠ and if everyone follows then claim. If W shows out on 2nd spade then

2- Come to hand with ♣A

3- Cash AK of ♥ discarding a ♦ and a ♠ from dummy.

3-Cash K and A of diamonds, ending up in dummy

 

A-At this point you are down to last 5 cards and East can not hold 4 ♣+2♠ if he started with long spades and clubs.

 

B- But let's assume that he(East) started with long spades + long hearts and it is West who has the side 5 card clubs. Play exactly as I already wrote and they still can not come down to last 5 cards safely.

This time it will be WEST who gets squeezed when you cash the 3rd ♠ between long clubs and diamonds.

 

C-Now let's assume that WEST had long spades along with his long diamonds. Play exactly the same way as we did in A and B. This time it will be East again who will be squeezed on 3rd ♠ between hearts and clubs.,

[0deary]

Burning your boats before losing your paddle up the creek

 

A quick glance at dummy: a sure 12 and plenty of scope for ~10 NT, no need to rectify the count just test the suits until a quick claim? Wrong! 😱

 

And looking at all the 16 scores no one made 13 (apart from a few mis-defences)

 

The way not to make it: take the top Heart, check the Spades and you might as well take the third whilst you are there chucking a small heart from hand, then cross to the Clubs and blow me they don’t split either so you cash the top ones, the top two Hearts and then King Diamond over to the A Diamond and west gratefully takes the Q at trick 13

 

The way to make it: exactly as Mr Ace says!

 

The difference is keeping communication open before deciding which suit to take

 

And as ahydra says I hadn’t expected West’s hand but there it is:

 

http://www.bridgebase.com/tools/handviewer.html?s=S75HAKJ6DK3CAKQJ5&w=S8HQ9832DQJ8742C3&n=SAKQ942H7DAT65C87&e=SJT63HT54D9CT9642&d=w&v=o&b=1

[Phil]

 

B- But let's assume that he(East) started with long spades + long hearts and it is West who has the side 5 card clubs. Play exactly as I already wrote and they still can not come down to last 5 cards safely.

This time it will be WEST who gets squeezed when you cash the 3rd ♠ between long clubs and diamonds.

 

C-Now let's assume that WEST had long spades along with his long diamonds. Play exactly the same way as we did in A and B. This time it will be East again who will be squeezed on 3rd ♠ between hearts and clubs.,

 

While these squeezes would work, "B" isn't really necessary since West appears to hold ♥Q93 and probably a 4th one as well. With "C", you'd discover 4=3=6=0 on the first round of clubs.

[MrAce]

While these squeezes would work, "B" isn't really necessary since West appears to hold ♥Q93 and probably a 4th one as well. With "C", you'd discover 4=3=6=0 on the first round of clubs.

 

You are assuming that East would have played ♥Q at T1 and I am aware of that.

I just wrote my line and explained this line does not care whether East was joking or a bad player or w/e when West is holding

 

JTxx

32

QJxxxx

x

 

by mentioning option C.

It is unlikely that East played T instead of Q at T1 but it won't hurt to play safe.

[johnu]

A quick glance at dummy: a sure 12 and plenty of scope for ~10 NT, no need to rectify the count just test the suits until a quick claim? Wrong! 😱

 

And looking at all the 16 scores no one made 13 (apart from a few mis-defences)

 

Rectifying the count is one way to make only 12 tricks :) Claiming 13 tricks at trick 1 and having the claim disputed is another.

 

As long as West has 5+ diamonds, you always have some sort of squeeze. It looks more natural to me to start with clubs instead of spades, but it doesn't make any difference if you start with spades first as long as you know something about squeeze play.