[pclayton]

You are rolling along in a team game when this comes along:

Scoring: IMP

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The opps bidding:

1N - 2♣
2♦ - 3♠
4♥ - 5♥
6♥


1. 1N is 15-17
2. 3♠ is Smolen
3. You don't ask, but they volunteer that 5♥ is asking for help in trump.

You lead the ♣2 and regret it as soon as you see dummy. Pard plays the 4 (udca) and declarer plays the 9. Declarer runs the ♥J. You consider ducking but decide to win.

Any ideas from here?

[han]

I'd play a club. Doesn't look like this can be worse than a shift, and perhaps partner can ruff this.

[Fluffy]

I don't see how to break any squeeze, so my best hope is that partner ruffs a club. This might be a bit insulting for opponent, but can't see anything better.

[mikeh]

Jlall, on Aug 25 2007, 02:01 PM, said:

Fluffy, on Aug 25 2007, 01:59 PM, said:

I don't see how to break any squeeze, so my best hope is that partner ruffs a club.

? We need partner to have Jxxx of spades and the DK. If we don't play a club declarer can vienna coup the diamonds and then run trumps and then run clubs and partner is done. If we play a club declarer has no entries to his hand and must run clubs before trumps.

Agreed. This is actually a fairly easy hand to visualize at trick 2.

Declarer sounds like 3=3=3=4, and if he has the ♦K, you can't beat him: 4♥s, 4♣s, and the top 4 pointed cards.

If he has the ♠J, then he gets 3 spades.

While it is possible that partner can ruff a club, declarer might well have opted to play A and a trump if afraid of a club ruff.

So we play him, as Justin noted, to be off the ♦K and the ♠J, and we have to destroy his communication.

Fortunately, our club continuation works on either of the possible layouts needed to beat this.

[pclayton]

Yes, a club ruins the timing for the squeeze. In order for declarer to succeed, he has to cash the hearts first, followed by the clubs, after cashing one of the pointed suits tops in dummy. It really doesn't matter which suit she chooses to unblock with.

I found this defense, although at the time I had just considered the idea of giving pard a club ruff. If I would have looked deeper, I would have found it for the right reasons I think.

I don't see a compelling reason for a diamond over a club. A diamond may blow the suit, although its slightly more likely a trick will cash.

[ArcLight]

Jlall, on Aug 25 2007, 01:51 PM, said:

Oh and for what it's worth I think leading a club is really bad.

What would be a better lead and why?

[keylime]

I'm not a fan of leading a diamond here (it's self-evident that we're not touching a major). A club is the most passive and and continuing such is almost automatic.