One I got wrong

[lamford]

[hv=pc=n&w=sa5hqjt2daj75cqt3&n=sjt43hk64dqt842c4&d=s&v=b&b=7&a=1sd4sppp]266|200[/hv]

Teams. Lead ♥Q

Declarer wins the first heart in South with the ace, partner showing an even number, and leads the queen of spades. They are playing strong and five. Your go.

[alok c]

Play low.

[HardVector]

I presume you are actually showing us the East hand. Play low. If partner had a stiff heart with 2 spades, they should probably have competed in a minor.

[kenberg]

No, I think the hands shown are N and W as stated. W was on lead at T1 and the N hand is dummy. It might not look like dummy over there on the right (in my picture at least) so mentally place it over to the left. Or so I assume. So the dilemma of the title is that if we play low, and declarer holds the ♠K, not unlikely, then declarer may play small to the ♥ K, ruff a ♥ back to hand, and then put me in with the ♠ A. My option then will be to give a sluff/ruff with a ♥ or to, not happily, start one of the minors. Again, so I assume. Of course if I play the A at T2, I might well crash the K.

 

I think I hop up wit the A. This will crash the K if declarer started with six spades to the Q, but with that holding he might have won the ♥ A, played a ♥ to the K, ruffed a third ♥, and then led a ♠. That way, if I, the doubler, had either a stiff ♠ A ot K, I will endplayed. Of course maybe declarer needs a crash, the endplay doesn't suffice. so he is just playing for the error. Could be. But I hop up.

[rmnka447]

Play low. You know that declarer has at least 5 ♠, so the most that partner can have is 2. But it's entirely possible that declarer has 6 ♠. If so and you go up with the ♠ A, you may compress 2 ♠ tricks into 1 if partner holds the ♠ K.

 

It's possible that declarer is leading ♠ Q from ♠ KQxxx(x) to induce you to duck. Declarer might do so if holding a hand where a strip and endplay might result, then the ♠ A is the card that puts you in to endplay you and the induced duck gets rid of your escape card. In that case, then you tip your hat to declarer for making a great play.

 

Which would you rather defend in the post mortem?

 

a) Going up and compressing 2 ♠ tricks into 1 when partner has stiff ♠ K, or,

 

b) Ducking and being later subjected to an endplay.

 

I'd prefer b.

[gszes]

there is plenty of space in partners hand for a singleton spade K PLUS we have no strong reason to fear being endplayed. DUCK

[Zelandakh]

there is plenty of space in partners hand for a singleton spade K PLUS we have no strong reason to fear being endplayed. DUCK

There is also plenty of space in partner's hand for ♠xx and a singleton ♦. It is basically a guess with little to go on.

[lamford]

There is also plenty of space in partner's hand for ♠xx and a singleton ♦. It is basically a guess with little to go on.

Indeed, partner has ♠ xx ♥ xxxx ♦ x ♣ Axxxxx, and you need to rise and play a club when he will win and return a diamond. Declarer had KQxxx Ax K9x KJx. My partner said that in this situation, where attitude or count were unlikely to matter, the heart carding should be HELP, high energetic, low passive, so I should rise and play a club. I responded: "No hablo Ingles".

[nige1]

Indeed, partner has ♠ xx ♥ xxxx ♦ x ♣ Axxxxx, and you need to rise and play a club when he will win and return a diamond. Declarer had KQxxx Ax K9x KJx. My partner said that in this situation, where attitude or count were unlikely to matter, the heart carding should be HELP, high energetic, low passive, so I should rise and play a club. I responded: "No hablo Ingles".

Terence Reese was English and advocated odd-ball signals:

Unusual card = unusual (wake-up) meaning.

In this context, however, few would recognize this as one.

 

Correction: in a private message, Zelandakh put me right:

 

The term popularised at the time was "Alarm Clock signal" and was typically described as being an honour card in the literature.

Edited May 13, 2019 by nige1