Stratford 1

[nige1]

[hv=pc=n&k=S&s=SK74HK4d6543CAKQJ&w=SAQJT96HQT98DQJct&n=S32HAJ32DAT2C5432&d=s&v=0&b=1&a=1N(14-16)2D(6+ M)DPP2S(6+ !S)3S(4 !H)P3NPPP&p=DQ]399|300|

There was a deal similar to this in the Swiss Teams

at the EBU Spring Bank Holiday Congress (Stratford-Upon-Avon).

You, South, declare 3N.

Hit next to reveal dummy and the opening lead of ♦Q.

Plan the play.

Hint

If you take a lucky view and the cards lie favourably *

then ♠7 and ♦T will operate as, what I call, pivots.

That is: they perform a kind of blocking function.

* unfortunately, in real-life, there was no miracle, so the contract failed.

 

[/hv]

[Tramticket]

 

This all looks pretty hopeless. Let's assume the heart finesse works - that still leaves you a trick short if you win the first trick. East presumably has the diamond king and west will therefore need the spade ace for the over-call (also, west would have led a spade). You can see what will happen once the opponents gain the lead - a diamond to west's king and a spade through buries you.

 

Based on your spoiler, I guess that if you duck, East will overtake with the king and send through a spade. You need East's spades to be precisely the six and five. You cover the spade and west needs to win. Now when west exits, you can lead a diamond towards the 10 to establish the ninth trick.

 

So I need west to hold something like:♠AQJ1098 ♥Q10 ♦QJ98 ♣9

 

[gszes]

I would try for a practical chance (ie a chance w/o hoping against hope for a really outlandish card holding. I would start by assuming lho led a stiff diamond and held Qxxx hearts and the spade ace. Assuming a singleton dia is hardly off the wall as rho passed 2d x when they had a easy 2h bid asking lho to bid their major (I assume or at least xx to accomplish the same thing).

trick 1 win dia ace (not risking overtake and them running 6 spade tricks)

trick 2/3/4/5 clubs who knows maybe discards will be difficult for opps (not likely)

trick 6 heart K at the very least I now have book so I am no worse off then I would have been ducking a dia at trick 1 and suffering a 6 card spade switch.

trick 7 heart to J. the intention is to throw lho in with their presumed 4th heart so they have to give us a spade trick for number 9.

 

I do not expect this to work but I am in a poor overbid contract that is lucky to have any play at all.

[nige1]

[hv=pc=n&s=SK74HK4d6543CAKQJ&w=SAQJT96HQT98DQJct&n=S32HAJ32DAT2C5432&d=s&v=0&b=1&a=1N(14-16)2D(6+ M)DPP2S(6+ !S)3S(4 !H)P3NPPP&p=DQ]399|300| A boardl similar to this was dealt in the Swiss Teams at the EBU Spring Bank Holiday Congress (Stratford-Upon-Avon).

You, South, declare 3N.on the lead of ♦Q.

 

I like Gsze's line, which has practical chances. As Gsze says, whatever your plan, it can't do much harm to win ♦A and cash 4 ♣s.. In the layout on the left, LHO is triple-squeezed....

-- A ♥ discard gives you 4 ♥ tricks.

-- A ♦ discard allows you to end-play LHO with 4 rounds of ♥s.

-- So LHO must discard 3 ♠s but, in layouts like this, a 1-suit squeeze operates.

-- -- If LHO keeps 3 top ♠s, you exit in ♦s and wait for a ♠ trick.

-- -- if LHO keeps ♠AQ6, say, then when RHO leads a ♠, you cover to develop a ♠ trick.

 

The ♠7 and ♦T operate as, what I call, pivots.

They perform a kind of blocking function.

 

Unfortunately, in real-life, there was no miracle, so the contract failed. :( [/hv]