Play problem

[Cyberyeti]

This is an exercise in visualising all your chances:

 

[hv=pc=n&s=saq752ha92dkq94ca&n=skj94hjt63da3c864&d=s&v=0&b=11&a=1sp2n(limit%2B%204%2BS)p3d(LSGT)p4sp4np5h(2%20w%2Fo%20Q)p5n(anything%20else)p6sppp]266|200[/hv]

 

Lead is the ♣Q, how do you plan to combine your chances ?

[AL78]

If trumps are 2-2 there is an elimination and endplay. Draw trumps, diamond to the ace, ruff a club, cash top diamonds throwing dummy's last club. Ruff the last diamond in dummy and run the ♥J. If it is covered you win and only lose one heart. If West wins he is endplayed.

 

If trumps are 3-1 I'm thinking draw trumps, diamond to the ace, run the ♥J. If it is covered you have 12 tricks as before. If it loses to East win the return (certainly a club) and cash another two rounds of diamonds throwing a small heart. If the JT come down the nine is the 12th trick, otherwise ruff the nine in dummy and take a second heart finesse. West might have led the king from ♥KQ so I feel there is a good chance he doesn't hold both heart honors.

 

If trumps are 4-0, I'll beat up whoever dealt the boards this week.

[Cyberyeti]

If trumps are 2-2 there is an elimination and endplay. Draw trumps, diamond to the ace, ruff a club, cash top diamonds throwing dummy's last club. Ruff the last diamond in dummy and run the ♥J. If it is covered you win and only lose one heart. If West wins he is endplayed.

 

You can equally ruff another club in hand and discard a heart on the diamonds, but yes if trumps are 2-2 this is laydown, and this was part of the point, you get to test this before playing hearts. Also if ♦J10(x) come down you don't need this.

 

 

If trumps are 3-1 I'm thinking draw trumps, diamond to the ace, run the ♥J. If it is covered you have 12 tricks as before. If it loses to East win the return (certainly a club) and cash another two rounds of diamonds throwing a small heart. If the JT come down the nine is the 12th trick, otherwise ruff the nine in dummy and take a second heart finesse. West might have led the king from ♥KQ so I feel there is a good chance he doesn't hold both heart honors.

 

If trumps are 4-0, I'll beat up whoever dealt the boards this week.

 

Not sure if any of the partial eliminations are worth playing if trumps don't break. In fact trumps were 2-2 and ♥KQx were offside.

[AL78]

Glad to hear I got it right there or thereabouts. Going through the BridgeMaster hands teaches you how to do elimination and endplay techniques as an alternative to simply taking finesses, even if on some of those hands the winning line might not be the best play at matchpoints. I just wish I could learn the expert hand techniques, and I daren't try the world class hands.