Play this 4C contract.

[Trumpace]

You are in a 4C contract, West having bids spades (first) and hearts (later) and East having supported hearts.

 

[hv=n=skq97h9432dq4ct98&s=st8hqdat853cakq73]133|200|[/hv]

 

West leads a low heart, East wins with the King and continues with the ♥Ace.

 

What would be the best line for 4C?

[mike777]

Looking forward to seeing play lines but why am I not in 3HX? Partner pls. give us a chance to practice defense also. We do not double enough if opp do not make sometimes.

 

Why are the opp. not leading trumps at every opportunity?

[Trumpace]

Looking forward to seeing play lines but why am I not in 3HX? Partner pls. give us a chance to practice defense also. We do not double enough if opp do not make sometimes.

 

Why are the opp. not leading trumps at every opportunity?

This was played online, (of course at BBO) with a pickup partner. Opps seemed like decent players (from my point of view, I am intermediate, plus the were labelled 'expert'). Anyway, I went down 1 in the hand and wonder if it can be made. What makes me wonder even more is, is there an obvious play? I say this because my partner left in the middle (not in the beginning, so might not have left due to the bidding) of this hand. He/she was also 'intermediate' I think.

 

I don't remember the exact bidding sequence. Can post it in the evening when I get home and check the hand record.

[Fluffy]

East ahs shown ♥AK, should we assume he passed first round of biddin? it would mean that he has nothing else.

 

Back to business... if ♣ are 4-1 we are doomed cos we will be shortened again.♦K is onside, ♠A is onside.

 

If we get shortned again we have the alternative line of discarding last ♦ from dummy to avoid being forced to ruff high, it needs ♦3-3, but ♦3-3 mean ♣4-1 so it can't work.

 

We have to relay on ♣J to come in second round.

 

Still there is a lot or work to do, will think of it later.

[Trumpace]

East ahs shown ♥AK, should we assume he passed first round of biddin?

Yes. East was in the 3rd seat and had passed in his first turn. (West had passed too). The scoring was IMP pairs. NS vul.

[inquiry]

Fluffy is right, and really doesn't need to think about it any longer.

 

You are in a pickle. You need clubs to be 3-2, are forced to ruff this heart now, you will have to lose the lead twice (leading towards KQ of spades, leading towards diamond queen). They will return hearts each time, forcing you to ruff... so what you can and can not do.

 

1) You can not play three rounds of trumps now (else they cash another heart and their diamond/spade winners.

 

2) You can not afford to hook EAST for club jack. For even if he has three to the jack, will not help you. You will be forced to ruff three hearts (one now, one when you knock out the spade ACE, one when you knock out the diamond king). So one fo the ruffs will be with the ACE, KING or QUEEN of clubs.

 

You wlll need to, eventually, cash two clubs, and ruff the three hearts (either they force you or you do so yourself, effecting a dummy reveral). You need the club Jack to be doubleton. So you win three clubs in hand by ruffing, the club AK in hand, and then the club TEN in dummy for six club tricks. You also win 2D, and 2S. There really isn't any other way to 10 tricks I don't think. So you need WEST to be 5-4-2-2 (if he has six spades, they can get a spade ruff) with the doubleton club jack. Not great odds, but go for it.

 

ben