[gnasher]

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Perhaps a bit feebly, you decide not to double (do you agree?) but partner is there. The play goes:
♥3 2 J Q
♣4 7 8 K
♥6 8 9 A
♦4 K 5 9
♣5 6 Q 8
♥K 5 ♦3 ♥7

Partner's ♣5 and ♦3 are present count.

Things seem to have gone OK so far. Now what?

[BunnyGo]

gnasher, on 2010-December-29, 17:48, said:

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Perhaps a bit feebly, you decide not to double (do you agree?) but partner is there. The play goes:
♥3 2 J Q
♣4 7 8 K
♥6 8 9 A
♦4 K 5 9
♣5 6 Q 8
♥K 5 ♦3 ♥7

Partner's ♣5 and ♦3 are present count.

Things seem to have gone OK so far. Now what?

There must be some typos in the play (if nothing else J of hearts at trick 1), it's making it a bit hard to follow.

[JLOGIC]

Partner has:

K??
Jx
AK832
K53

If I play back a diamond and partner ducks, they can ruff a diamond, ruff a club, and exit a diamond for down 1. Alternatively, if I play back a diamond and partner wins and plays a club they can shake a spade, down 1.

If I play a high club they can among other things ruff and get out the DQ for down 1.

Better is to hope partner has the ST. I play a spade to the ten and ace. If they return the spade 9, partner ducks. If they return a low spade, we pop jack. Or of course partner could have the KT9 of spades but that's less fun. If partner has K9x of spades we will survive for down 1.

[JLOGIC]

BunnyGo, on 2010-December-29, 17:58, said:

There must be some typos in the play (if nothing else J of hearts at trick 1), it's making it a bit hard to follow.

We led a trump and partner put in their jack. What is the typo?

[JLOGIC]

Meh my construction makes the bidding make basically no sense...partner passed our 1S with a pretty good 14 and then they balanced with a random 8. But their balance makes no sense no matter what, they are both passed hands and r/w... and partner's X on Jx of trumps makes no sense without significant values. I still think my layout is right based on how the play has gone. Do we split high with KQ holdings? I am assuming we split low and that partner has shown the AK and not the KQ with this play. Pretty funny that this is the only reasonable layout I can come up with. I think since it's pretty I have it right.

[BunnyGo]

JLOGIC, on 2010-December-29, 18:08, said:

We led a trump and partner put in their jack. What is the typo?

Ah, the "typo" was that the picture had South to the right of the dummy and this was confusing me.

[gnasher]

JLOGIC, on 2010-December-29, 18:12, said:

Meh my construction makes the bidding make basically no sense...partner passed our 1S with a pretty good 14 and then they balanced with a random 8. But their balance makes no sense no matter what, they are both passed hands and r/w... and partner's X on Jx of trumps makes no sense without significant values. I still think my layout is right based on how the play has gone. Do we split high with KQ holdings? I am assuming we split low and that partner has shown the AK and not the KQ with this play. Pretty funny that this is the only reasonable layout I can come up with. I think since it's pretty I have it right.

You've have the high cards and the distribution right.

[Fluffy]

There is a typo, the ♣8 is played twice instead of the 2.

Anyway the hand proposed by justin seems the only reasonable except that I don't understand why he thinks ♦8 must be in partner's hands.

His analysis sounds good to me, return ♠7 so that partner knows he is not wellcome to play the King from Kxx

[gnasher]

This is a bit less interesting than I thought it was when I posted it.

A diamond continuation definitely beats it exactly one, regardless of partner's spade and diamond spots.

At the table, I thought a spade would let it through when partner had Kxx Jx AK732 Kxx - spade to declarer's 10, ♦Q to partner's ace, club ruffed, ♦8, diamond ruff in dummy. My worry was that this would squeeze me between ♣A and ♠J, but in fact dummy would have had to throw its small spade a trick earlier, blocking the suit.

Before switching to a spade, I'd also want to be certain that partner doesn't have Kxx Jx AK632 Kxx. Obviously he should discard ♦6 from that, but that does require him to notice that ♦6 is worthless.

Finally, this

Quote

If I play a high club they can among other things ruff and get out the DQ for down 1.

would be dangerous. If partner's diamonds are AK732, declarer can now make by leading ♦Q - if partner wins it he's endplayed; if he doesn't, declarer ruffs a diamond and cashes ♣J to squeeze partner.