A tale of 3 opps

[manudude03]

I got a new laptop today, so getting used to the new keyboard. Apologies for any typing errors throughout this. This was a somewhat frustrating board for me, but despite the title, I don't consider myself blameless. Try to decide what you would do before reading the play in spoilers after each decision point (in bold). Anyway, you play 2/4 leads with udca (and no smith) and McKenny (Lavinthal) discards, here is the hand in question:

 

[hv=pc=n&n=s82ha865da954ca94&e=sq943ht7d63ckqjt5&d=n&v=e&b=9&a=1dp2nppp]266|200[/hv]

2NT shows 10-12 balanced with no 4 card major.

Partner leads the ♥2 and the 5 is played from dummy.

First decision: Do you play the ten or the seven?

I probably didn't analyse this enough at the time, but I figured I don't want to give declarer a third heart trick instantly if partner had led from QJxx, so I stuck in the ten. Playing the 7 would be better pretty much any time partner had the 9 though.

Declarer won the queen (not the greatest start to the defence) and much to my surprise led a ♣8 from hand. Partner follows with the 2 and ducked round to me. I don't think I've ever seen the concept of giving count when you are the one winning tricks, but feels like it makes sense, so I won the jack.

 

Second decision: What do you switch to now?

To me, there didn't seem much point in playing out clubs with no entry, so it was a choice of the majors. Ultimately I decided that we're more likely to be doing something constructive by playing a spade, and seeing as I might not get in again decided to lead the ♠Q in case partner had AJTx. In hindsight, it seems more likely that declarer has AJx where leading the queen would leave the defence awkwardly placed if declarer wins and so leading a small spade seems best. After leading the ♠Q, this goes to the King and Ace, partner plays a spade back to your 9 and declarer ducks, and I knocked out declarer's last spade, the jack while the ♥6 is pitched from dummy. Declarer now leads the ♣3 from hand, partner discards the ♥9, and this gets ducked round to me and I win with the ten.

 

Final decision: Now what do you do?

The play so far seems somewhat odd, and so I started to fear my partner was getting squeezed, I had considered playing a diamond, but couldn't really come up with a hand where it was needed, plus it would be a little embarrassing if declarer had ♦KQT. For me, giving partner his spade trick is out of the question. I decided my best attempt to break up any squeeze would be to now return the ♥7. This should have been enough to beat the hand, but unfortunately after dummy won the ♥ and cashed the ♣A, partner threw a diamond from JTxx giving declarer the contract :(.

Full hand with play in spoilers (names changed) and you'll be able to see how each decision would have worked out.

 

 

[hv=https://www.bridgebase.com/tools/handviewer.html?lin=st||pn|South,West,North,East|md|1SKJ6HQ43DKQ2C8763,SAT75HKJ92DJT87C2,S82HA865DA954CA94,SQ943HT7D63CKQJT5|sv|e|rh||ah|Board%203|mb|P|mb|P|mb|1D|mb|P|mb|2N|mb|P|mb|P|mb|P|pc|H2|pc|H5|pc|HT|pc|HQ|pc|C8|pc|C2|pc|C4|pc|CJ|pc|SQ|pc|SK|pc|SA|pc|S2|pc|S5|pc|S8|pc|S9|pc|S6|pc|S4|pc|SJ|pc|S7|pc|H6|pc|C3|pc|H9|pc|C9|pc|CT|pc|H7|pc|H3|pc|HJ|pc|HA|pc|CA|pc|C5|pc|C7|pc|D7|pc|D4|pc|D6|pc|DK|pc|DJ|pc|DQ|pc|D8|pc|D5|pc|D3|pc|D2|pc|DT|pc|DA|pc|S3|pc|D9|pc|CQ|pc|C6|pc|ST|pc|H8|pc|CK|pc|H4|pc|HK|]399|300[/hv]

 

[nige1]

[hv=pc=n&n=s82ha865da954ca94&e=sq943ht7d63ckqjt5&d=n&v=e&b=9&a=1dp2nppp]266|200| ManUDude03 '

I got a new laptop today, so getting used to the new keyboard. Apologies for any typing errors throughout this. This was a somewhat frustrating board for me, but despite the title, I don't consider myself blameless. Try to decide what you would do before reading the play in spoilers after each decision point (in bold). Anyway, you play 2/4 leads with udca (and no smith) and McKenny (Lavinthal) discards, here is the hand in question: 2NT shows 10-12 balanced with no 4 card major. Partner leads the ♥2 and the 5 is played from dummy.

First decision: Do you play the ten or the seven?

I probably didn't analyse this enough at the time, but I figured I don't want to give declarer a third heart trick instantly if partner had led from QJxx, so I stuck in the ten. Playing the 7 would be better pretty much any time partner had the 9 though.

Declarer won the queen (not the greatest start to the defence) and much to my surprise led a ♣8 from hand. Partner follows with the 2 and ducked round to me. I don't think I've ever seen the concept of giving count when you are the one winning tricks, but feels like it makes sense, so I won the jack.

Second decision: What do you switch to now?

To me, there didn't seem much point in playing out clubs with no entry, so it was a choice of the majors. Ultimately I decided that we're more likely to be doing something constructive by playing a spade, and seeing as I might not get in again decided to lead the ♠Q in case partner had AJTx. In hindsight, it seems more likely that declarer has AJx where leading the queen would leave the defence awkwardly placed if declarer wins and so leading a small spade seems best. After leading the ♠Q, this goes to the King and Ace, partner plays a spade back to your 9 and declarer ducks, and I knocked out declarer's last spade, the jack while the ♥6 is pitched from dummy. Declarer now leads the ♣3 from hand, partner discards the ♥9, and this gets ducked round to me and I win with the ten.

Final decision: Now what do you do?

The play so far seems somewhat odd, and so I started to fear my partner was getting squeezed, I had considered playing a diamond, but couldn't really come up with a hand where it was needed, plus it would be a little embarrassing if declarer had ♦KQT. For me, giving partner his spade trick is out of the question. I decided my best attempt to break up any squeeze would be to now return the ♥7. This should have been enough to beat the hand, but unfortunately after dummy won the ♥ and cashed the ♣A, partner threw a diamond from JTxx giving declarer the contract :(.

Full hand with play in spoilers (names changed) you'll be able to see how each decision would have worked out.[/hv]

[hv=https://www.bridgebase.com/tools/handviewer.html?lin=st||pn|South,West,North,East|md|1SKJ6HQ43DKQ2C8763,SAT75HKJ92DJT87C2,S82HA865DA954CA94,SQ943HT7D63CKQJT5|sv|e|rh||ah|Board%203|mb|P|mb|P|mb|1D|mb|P|mb|2N|mb|P|mb|P|mb|P|pc|H2|pc|H5|pc|HT|pc|HQ|pc|C8|pc|C2|pc|C4|pc|CJ|pc|SQ|pc|SK|pc|SA|pc|S2|pc|S5|pc|S8|pc|S9|pc|S6|pc|S4|pc|SJ|pc|S7|pc|H6|pc|C3|pc|H9|pc|C9|pc|CT|pc|H7|pc|H3|pc|HJ|pc|HA|pc|CA|pc|C5|pc|C7|pc|D7|pc|D4|pc|D6|pc|DK|pc|DJ|pc|DQ|pc|D8|pc|D5|pc|D3|pc|D2|pc|DT|pc|DA|pc|S3|pc|D9|pc|CQ|pc|C6|pc|ST|pc|H8|pc|CK|pc|H4|pc|HK|]399|300[/hv]

Thank you ManUDude03 for the tricky problem. Well defended!

You have to prevent the expert declarer from squeezing or end-playing partner. At trick 3, I'm afraid that I'd return a ♥, allowing the contract to make :(