How do you plan the play here?

[AL78]

MPs:

 

[hv=pc=n&s=sqjt7hqt95d85cj84&n=sahak74dkjt64ca65&d=n&v=b&b=13&a=1dp1hp4hppp]266|200[/hv]

 

♠2 led. What would be your plan?

 

This isn't going to turn into another tale of woe, it is a hand I where I did well but I felt at the time I mis-planned and somewhat blundered into a winning line, so am curious how people here would play this.

[LBengtsson]

Nice hand to post, AL78. Timing is everything here. After a few minutes thought I am unsure what the percentage line is here. The lead helps. Before I put my glasses on, I thought the lead was the ♣2. That would made things really tricky. I will come back to this.

[mikeh]

Nice problem.

 

Fwiw, I think I’d play this identically at matchpoints and imps.

 

I think we need to get lucky here….bearing in mind that the opps are very likely to switch to clubs once they get in.

 

I’d cash a top heart, just in case the Jack appears, which would be good news/bad news but, I think, more good than bad.

 

Assuming it didn’t, heart to the queen and a diamond. Check LHO’s action. Most weak players give away their holding…a twitch by someone I consider ethical fetches the king from dummy. A smooth duck from any non-expert fetches the J on a sort of restricted choice basis…some of the time the non-expert twitches with the Ace but never, unless a very unethical player, twitches with the queen. Against a true expert, it’s more of a guess. (Side note…any time you hold Axx(x) in front of KJ(x)(x) you should use the usual trick one pause to plan what to do when declarer leads the suit, so as to play in tempo. It’s often better to make a ‘mistake’ in tempo than to make the ‘correct’ play but give away your holding by tempo).

 

Checking LHO’s action is perfectly legal and ethical…all you’re checking is tempo, and so long as you are yourself playing in tempo, it’s fine. Here, I’d have taken several minutes to play to trick one and thereafter plan to play at a quick but steady tempo.

[Douglas43]

I wrestled with lines involving a finesse of ten of hearts to give a second entry for a ruffing finesse in spades, but I don't think it's any better.

[Douglas43]

Sorry, using a tablet and posted in triplicate

[Douglas43]

Deleted

[AL78]

I decided the ♠K was on my left given the low spade lead and planned to take a ruffing finesse through LHO and play diamonds to dummy. Unfortunately I forgot to check the entry position and realise I am very short of hand entries so started off drawing three rounds of trumps ending in hand. That was a cock-up with the timing, if I take a ruffing finesse now I am in dummy and can't get back to hand without eliminating all my trumps. I should have drawn two rounds of trumps, then when the jack comes down doubleton I have two entries to hand to do both.

 

I decided instead of the ruffing finesse to play low to the ♦J won with the ace from RHO who (surprisingly) returned a spade, finessing his partner for me. After ruffing the king I played ♦K and ruffed in hand and they turned out to be 3-3. I cashed the winning spades and enjoyed the diamonds in dummy via the club ace. 12 tricks and a top.

 

Not my best declarer effort and if this was a BridgeMaster hand I'm sure I'd have ended up with "Contract Failed" but I got away with it here.

 

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