defence problem, what to do now?

[AL78]

Teams.

 

[hv=pc=n&s=sajthqt53djct9753&e=s3hk82dkq974cj642&d=s&v=e&b=3&a=pp1sp3sp4sppp]266|200[/hv]

 

This may not have been the exact auction, it was either this one where South invited and North accepted, or South bid 2NT showing a spade invite and North accepted.

 

You lead the ♦K, partner encourages with the eight, the 2 played by declarer. What do you play at trick 2?

[manudude03]

You play attitude with a stiff in dummy? More common is suit preference which makes a heart switch easy. Think it would still be right to anyway.

[nige1]

[hv=pc=n&s=sajthqt53djct9753&e=s3hk82dkq974cj642&d=s&v=e&b=3&a=pp1sp3sp4sppp]266|200| AL78 'Teams. This may not have been the exact auction, it was either this one where South invited and North accepted, or South bid 2NT showing a spade invite and North accepted. You lead the ♦K, partner encourages with the eight, the 2 played by declarer. What do you play at trick 2?

+++++++++++++++++++++

I rank ...

1. ♠3. Try to reduce dummy's ruffing value. Hope partner ducks with ♠ Qxx.. Other options seem inferior.

2. ♦9. Suggest ♥ values.

3. ♥2. Perhaps partner can ruff ♥s.

4. ♣6. Perhaps partner can ruff ♣s

[/hv]

[Winstonm]

If I trust partner, I should continue diamonds, forcing dummy. If we can take 2 hearts, partner’s 9xxx can be promoted by forcing dummy twice.

[smerriman]

If 8 really is attitude, I guess partner wants a diamond.

 

Agree 8 should ask for a heart. But I think I'm with Nigel and lead a trump anyway - if declarer has heart losers, they don't appear to be going anywhere. Ruffed diamonds seem more dangerous.

[mikeh]

It is fairly standard to play a middle diamond to encourage a continuation.

 

What would/should one play from A1083?

 

Fwiw, I think from that, if one want diamonds continued. One wins trick 1 with the Ace and returns the 3. But it’s easy to see how a non-expert would fail to think of the overtake.

 

Thus,I don’t agree that the 8, if we were playing high shows hearts, low clubs, etc is necessarily a heart signal anyway.

 

I don’t see any urgency in switching to a round suit and meanwhile forcing declarer to ruff might (but usually won’t) generate a trump trick for partner and definitely forces him to use a spade entry earlier than he might like.

 

So I continue diamonds…the 7 is the correct count card now.

[AL78]

I decided to lead a spade which partner won with the king. The full layout:

 

[hv=pc=n&s=sajthqt53djct9753&w=sk875hj4dat865cq8&n=sq9642ha976d32cak&e=s3hk82dkq974cj642]399|300[/hv]

 

Forcing dummy with a diamond ruff is the killing defence as it promotes a trump trick for partner. All we got in the end was a spade, heart and diamond trick. I thought of trying to cut down on diamond ruffs in dummy, but didn't think of the possibility of trump promotion by forcing dummy to ruff with a high card. Another one I got wrong.

 

Partner is of the philosphy that you should look at dummy, your hand and the bidding to decide what to do, so she doensn't play much in the way of signals beyond standard attitude and count, so the ♦8 was just saying she had values in diamonds. Teammates were two off in 4♠. An interesting point is that if partner really wanted to go for a trump promotion by forcing dummy, she could have overtaken and lead a diamond back, rather than relying on me to work it out (which is always dangerous)