[pclayton]

The other day I posted this hand under the title "Test Your Slam Bidding - III" and I mentioned in the follow-up that I didn't think my partner played it well.

My partner was Chris Larsen, who I think is one of the best technicians around. When I see him make a play that looks apparently wrong, its usually me that is missing something, and I need to look at it closer. Indeed, the hand deserves a second look:

Scoring: IMP

---

The bidding (N-S Vul):

East....South....West....North
Pass...Pass.......2♠......Double
3♠......4♣..........Pass......4♦
Pass..4♥...........Pass.....5♣
All Pass

The bidding has always been discussed, and thats not a topic here.

The opening lead is the ♠Q and RHO plays the 3 (standard). Your initial reaction is, "argh, we might have missed a slam". You cash the ♣AK and RHO shows out on the second. That's odd. Now 11 tricks are far from certain.

It looks like LHO has at least 9 and probably 10 black cards. Try to reconstruct the unseen hands and give yourself the best chance here.

[Fluffy]

I am looking at tapping myself and that, but see no way to score 11 tricks when we don't even make 3 diamonds.

The only extra chance I can see appart from ♥A onside is a bare ♥Q.

I'd not cash ♠K but instead cross to hand and play 4 rounds of clubs discading hearts from dummy.

It might be technically better to cash ♦A before crossing to hand in case RHO plays ♥Q from ♥AQ but that looks a bit like science fiction to me.

[pclayton]

Fluffy, on Dec 30 2007, 06:57 AM, said:

I'd not cash ♠K but instead cross to hand and play 4 rounds of clubs discading hearts from dummy.

I assume you are using the ♦K to come to hand?

[rogerclee]

At these colors, E would not be chicken to raise to 4S with 4 trumps and a stiff club. So E has 9 red cards exactly with at most 5 hearts, so at least 4 diamonds. The spade Q lead doesn't strongly indicate anything; he may not have led a stiff anyway had he had one (I would not).

Anyway, I don't see anything much better right now than to ruff a spade to hand, force the last trump, win the spade return, and play diamonds, hoping for W to have started with J or Jx, and then go for a heart hook. But I'm still thinking about it!

Edit: For clarification, this line wins whenever W has the J of diamonds, Jx of diamonds, or the stiff A of hearts (squeeze), and, of course, when the ♥A is onside.

[MFA]

We have 2 legitimate ways to win, ♦T and ♥K. I'm not going to do something fancy that jeopardizes those two.

So, ♠ruff (just in case ♦ are 0-6), ♣Q and ♣.

In theory, I would like to squeeze east from ♥QJ (no A) and ♦Jxxx. But I don't see how that can be done. But perhaps something will turn up.

[rogerclee]

MFA, on Dec 30 2007, 11:52 AM, said:

I would like to squeeze east from ♥QJ (no A) and ♦Jxxx.

Yeah, I don't think this is possible, but I may be wrong. If he doesn't have the heart A, then you, indeed, will squeeze him out of his heart guard to give yourself a good heart. But not before W cashes his spade, which you can't ruff.

[Fluffy]

pclayton, on Dec 30 2007, 03:03 PM, said:

Fluffy, on Dec 30 2007, 06:57 AM, said:

I'd not cash ♠K but instead cross to hand and play 4 rounds of clubs discading hearts from dummy.

I assume you are using the ♦K to come to hand?

Right

[655321]

Ruff a ♠ to hand.
Play ♣Q and another Club.
West gets out a ♦ or a ♠.
Win (pitching a ♥ on the top ♠) and play a ♥ to the K.

We make the contract when East has the ♥A, and when West has the singleton ♥A
because East will be squeezed in the red suits.

[y66]

nice line 65

[MFA]

655321, on Dec 30 2007, 04:36 PM, said:

Ruff a ♠ to hand.
Play ♣Q and another Club.
West gets out a ♦ or a ♠.
Win (pitching a ♥ on the top ♠) and play a ♥ to the K.

We make the contract when East has the ♥A, and when West has the singleton ♥A
because East will be squeezed in the red suits.

Right, we have a free shot on finding west with the singleton ♥A.
I think we should cash ♦KA (and ♠K) before we lead a heart up, though, so we don't lose to west's 5224 with ♥Ax and ♦Jx.
If west then wins his singleton ♥A, he will have to play a spade and squeeze partner.

[655321]

MFA, on Dec 30 2007, 07:17 PM, said:

655321, on Dec 30 2007, 04:36 PM, said:

Ruff a ♠ to hand.
Play ♣Q and another Club.
West gets out a ♦ or a ♠.
Win (pitching a ♥ on the top ♠) and play a ♥ to the K.

We make the contract when East has the ♥A, and when West has the singleton ♥A
because East will be squeezed in the red suits.

Right, we have a free shot on finding west with the singleton ♥A.
I think we should cash ♦KA (and ♠K) before we lead a heart up, though, so we don't lose to west's 5224 with ♥Ax and ♦Jx.
If west then wins his singleton ♥A, he will have to play a spade and squeeze partner.

Yep, that is an improvement.

I don't see any better line for the contract.

Phil, how did the play go at the table?

[pclayton]

655321, on Dec 30 2007, 04:44 PM, said:

MFA, on Dec 30 2007, 07:17 PM, said:

655321, on Dec 30 2007, 04:36 PM, said:

Ruff a ♠ to hand.
Play ♣Q and another Club.
West gets out a ♦ or a ♠.
Win (pitching a ♥ on the top ♠) and play a ♥ to the K.

We make the contract when East has the ♥A, and when West has the singleton ♥A
because East will be squeezed in the red suits.

Right, we have a free shot on finding west with the singleton ♥A.
I think we should cash ♦KA (and ♠K) before we lead a heart up, though, so we don't lose to west's 5224 with ♥Ax and ♦Jx.
If west then wins his singleton ♥A, he will have to play a spade and squeeze partner.

Yep, that is an improvement.

I don't see any better line for the contract.

Phil, how did the play go at the table?

I'll hold off responding. I think there's a lot more variations than that are being presented here.

[jdeegan]

Uh............ does west have five clubs or only four? I can't tell fom the narrative. If he has only four, I just give up a club and take my 11 tricks - five ♣, four ♦ and two ♠ - making sure to ruff a spade back to my hand to continue trumps. A pianola.

If LHO has five clubs, I don't see any way to make it. It appears I have to lose two clubs and a heart.

[glen]

jdeegan, on Dec 30 2007, 09:07 PM, said:

If he has only four, I just give up a club and take my 11 tricks - five ♣, four ♦ and two ♠

I wonder if Phil considered this a variation?

[pclayton]

jdeegan, on Dec 30 2007, 06:07 PM, said:

Uh............ does west have five clubs or only four? I can't tell fom the narrative. If he has only four, I just give up a club and take my 11 tricks - five ♣, four ♦ and two ♠ - making sure to ruff a spade back to my hand to continue trumps. A pianola.

If LHO has five clubs, I don't see any way to make it. It appears I have to lose two clubs and a heart.

He showed out on the 2nd club. Trumps are 4-1.

[pclayton]

officeglen, on Dec 30 2007, 06:35 PM, said:

jdeegan, on Dec 30 2007, 09:07 PM, said:

If he has only four, I just give up a club and take my 11 tricks - five ♣, four ♦ and two ♠

I wonder if Phil considered this a variation?

Uh, how exactly are you taking 4 diamond tricks?

[glen]

Since most real variations (i.e. not the just-add-water-instant-claim) are defeated if West ruffs the 3rd ♦ and exits a safe card, about the only other thing to try would be ♦ Q at trick 2 to see if the J or 9 drops.

Later edit: can't seem to produce a stepping stone etc. even if 9 or 9x, assuming West has ♥ ace not singleton (losing line in the winning line given above).

The stiff 9 can be handled by leading the ♦ T as the first ♦ - at trick 4 or on this line - ruff ♠, ♣Q, small ♣ - if West returns ♠ next play ♦ T and if West returns red then 11 tricks

[pclayton]

Doesnt really feel anyone is scratching the surface here. C'mon people...

[matmat]

i feel like i want to play a diamond to hand at trick 3.

cash ♣Q

lead a diamond up to dummy.
- if lho ruffs in, my problems are over. I have two discards for my losing hearts
- if lho follows I win, play a low heart covering whatever rho throws at me, unless it is the ace. if LHO wins, I win the return (whether he cashes his high club or not, if not I ruff a spade to hand and exit club.) I win whatever he plays in hand and run off my clubs, squeezing RHO in the reds. if RHO wins the first heart with the ace, LHO can ruff any red suit return, but my dummy entry can't be profitably knocked out, so I will have sufficient discards for my hearts.
-if lho discards on the second diamond. I think I have to play for the heart ace to be onside. I cash spade king, ruff a spade, exit club, and take the heart finesse.

[glen]

pclayton, on Jan 1 2008, 02:22 AM, said:

Doesnt really feel anyone is scratching the surface here. C'mon people...

Switching to Deep Finesse, it shows no winning lines on hands where West has ♥ Ax, ♥ AJ, ♥ AQ etc. except for the stiff ♦ nine mentioned above (or the ♦ jack dropping). Of course there are many lines that make when East has ♥ ace or West has singleton ace, as discussed above.

If, given the chance, West trumps 2nd ♦ instead of 3rd that is fatal on many hands, so I assuming that does not happened.

Please don't have a "scratching the surface" line that has East with ♥ ace, or West with singleton ♥ ace, or ♦ jack dropping, or West ruffing 2nd ♦. Due diligence please.