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Declarer or Defend? (no cheating!)

#1 User is offline   FrancesHinden 

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Posted 2007-August-31, 04:12

This fascinating hand came up during one of my (very rare) excursions on BBO.


3NT by South.
The play starts with a low club lead from West to the 10 and Queen.
Diamond to the king.

From this point, would you rather declare or defend?
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#2 User is offline   pclayton 

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Posted 2007-August-31, 10:51

I probably have this wrong but maybe this will help others to the right solution.

There are many many forks in the road here. Lets try the highway first:

Say East decides to win the A and continue with a benign club. Declarer wins hooks the diamond and East does best by blocking the suit by covering. Win the diamond in hand and knock out the K. I suppose West's best defense is low spade (but this leads to offramp 1 - see below) but declarer can win in hand cash the clubs play a diamond to the 8 and exit a spade to honor which West wins. The defense has a choice of putting declarer back in hand and taking 2 spades, 3 diamonds, 3 clubs. Declarer can exit the low spade and West must return a heart for #9. A heart return fares no better. Declarer can rise with the A, which also blocks the suit, exit a heart. East must put declarer in hand at this point.

Offramp 1. West returns a heart instead of a low spade. Declarer can rise with the Ace blocking the suit (pitching a spade), take the diamond 8, and play a spade, while the hearts are still blocked. West can win, cash their heart trick, but now East must win and put declarer in hand with a spade or a diamond.

Lets try another road out of town, which was my first impulse. It looks apparent for the defense to attack entries to the closed hand by winning the A, and shifting to a spade immediately. West wins, and plays back a spade. Declarer in hand at this point.

Lets try a to the A, to hand (again covered) J. West wins, and...?

I'll continue this later. (Sorry - went to edit this and the text went haywire)
"Phil" on BBO
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#3 User is offline   FrancesHinden 

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Posted 2007-August-31, 13:38

Yes. At the table I returned a club after winning the ace of diamonds (I didn't know partner's clubs were so ploppy) and it was definitely cold by various routes from there, though it took me a while to work them all through.

I'd reached the "what about a spade back bit....later" stage as well
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