Scylla and Charybdis

[lamford]

[hv=pc=n&s=skqj97h65dakqcq82&n=sat3ha84d654cjt43&d=s&v=b&b=7&a=1s2h3h(good%20raise)p4sppp]266|200[/hv]

IMPs; 8 board match; lead K♥

 

West leads the king of hearts against your normal game. What pitfalls do you foresee and how do you play?

[Cyberyeti]

There are 3 possible pitfalls that I can see:

 

W has 7 hearts if you duck to deal with the situation where he has 6 and one club honour

There is a club ruff off the hand

W has ♣AK and can pump you with too many hearts if you draw trumps, E holding ♠xxxx

 

You're doing well to find the truly laydown 3N

 

What I do next is defined by what I know of my opps and what a vul 2♥ or 3♥ overcall would look like for them, I think there's a good chance W holds ♣AK from the number of missing points, but he might well have tried one on the opening lead so winning the second one and playing clubs has some appeal, but could well be wrong.

[nige1]

[hv=pc=n&s=skqj97h65dakqcq82&n=sat3ha84d654cjt43&d=s&v=b&b=7&a=1s2h3h(good%20raise)p4sppp]266|200|

IMPs; 8 board match; lead K♥

West leads the king of hearts against your normal game. What pitfalls do you foresee and how do you play?

[/hv]

A possible pitfaill is overthinking to find a way to go down when trumps break,

IMO you should win ♥A at trick 1. Draw trumps, and play on ♣s

 

 

 

[lamford]

One layout that beats you is when trumps are 4-1 and you don't duck the heart. Now, even though the club honours are split (which is likely from no top club lead), if you win the first heart and play two trumps to discover East has 4, then play a club from dummy. East can fly with the king of clubs, play a heart to her partner and then pitch a club on the third heart and there is no way home.

 

Two other layouts that beat you are hearts 7-1 and you duck, of course, and clubs 4-2 where they can take a club ruff unless there is AK tight.

 

The late, great, Patrick Jourdain once castigated me for going off guarding against trumps 4-1, when I could have made it as trumps were 3-2! And he of the safety play with KT87xx opposite Ax as well!

 

You have to judged your opponents. I won the heart, and East did not fly with the king of clubs. Trumps were 4-1 and clubs 3-3.

[cherdano]

One layout that beats you is when trumps are 4-1 and you don't duck the heart. Now, even though the club honours are split (which is likely from no top club lead), if you win the first heart and play two trumps to discover East has 4, then play a club from dummy. East can fly with the king of clubs, play a heart to her partner and then pitch a club on the third heart and there is no way home.

 

Two other layouts that beat you are hearts 7-1 and you duck, of course, and clubs 4-2 where they can take a club ruff unless there is AK tight.

 

The late, great, Patrick Jourdain once castigated me for going off guarding against trumps 4-1, when I could have made it as trumps were 3-2! And he of the safety play with KT87xx opposite Ax as well!

 

You have to judged your opponents. I won the heart, and East did not fly with the king of clubs. Trumps were 4-1 and clubs 3-3.

Going up with ♣Kxx would look quite silly if declarer had ♦Kxx ♣AQx in the minors.

[Cyberyeti]

Going up with ♣Kxx would look quite silly if declarer had ♦Kxx ♣AQx in the minors.

 

Not convinced declarer plays it like that with those holdings.