[MrAce]

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IMP. NS are strong players.

Lead 4th best, they std card and play std smith.

T1- ♦6, 2, 9, K

T2- ♥ Q, 3, 2, 4

T3- ♣7, 8, J, Q

T4- ♠ T, K, A, 2 (T alerted as normally denies J)

T5- ♠ 7, 9, J, 5

T6- ♠ 8, Q, ♥6 discard, ♠3

T7-♦A, 4 , 3, ♥8 discard

How would you continue ?

[Mbodell]

I find it quite a bit harder to follow the play when E/W are declarer instead of the standard practice where you rotate the deal so S declares. It may be my failing, but I don't think I'm alone, so please try to rotate the hand in the future.

If I followed correctly then N has 6 diamonds, 2 spades, 2+ hearts, 1+ clubs. If clubs are 3-3 or 2-4 with N having K then we can set up our long trick in clubs without losing the lead to S. If S has the K we need to cross in hearts and finesse in clubs and hope for 3-3 clubs. We've placed S with 3 points and N with 4 points so far. The K of hearts could be with S and he ducked to avoid setting up hearts for us, especially if N has the H jack.

Why hasn't N discarded diamonds, and why didn't N preempt 2♦? Maybe N has Kxxx of hearts? But this is no good as I can't win 9 tricks if this is so. I need N to pick up club tricks without losing to S.

So I play the ♣A. If every one plays low, I play a low club and hope N wins it. If the club K appears I cross to the heart A. If N follows, I finesse in clubs for the 3 club tricks since N was 2=3=6=2, if N doesn't follow to the heart I play clubs from the top for the 3 club tricks since he was 2=2=6=3.

But I'm probably missing something as the hearts are really fishy, and I'm not quite sure what to make of the Q winning the first trick and both opps pitching hearts.

[MrAce]

Mbodell, on 2011-February-27, 03:21, said:

So I play the ♣A. If every one plays low, I play a low club and hope N wins it.

You need to make 3 ♣ tricks to make 9 tricks, and u already lost a ♣ to Q at trick 3. ... 3♦+2♥+1♠+3♣. So if u cash ♣ A and everyone plays small u are basically down even if 3rd ♣ is won by N and exits ♦.

About the ♥ Q at trick 2. Here is a hint, North hesitated long time before he played small on first ♥.

[Mbodell]

MrAce, on 2011-February-27, 03:35, said:

You need to make 3 ♣ tricks to make 9 tricks, and u already lost a ♣ to Q at trick 3. ... 3♦+2♥+1♠+3♣. So if u cash ♣ A and everyone plays small u are basically down even if 3rd ♣ is won by N and exits ♦.

About the ♥ Q at trick 2. Here is a hint, North hesitated long time before he played small on first ♥.

If I'm sure N has the heart K I guess I play him for 2=4=6=1 and play a heart to the K and finesse the 6 of clubs and then exit a spade endplaying S.

[MrAce]

Mbodell, on 2011-February-27, 03:48, said:

If I'm sure N has the heart K I guess I play him for 2=4=6=1 and play a heart to the K and finesse the 6 of clubs and then exit a spade endplaying S.

You are getting close.

The line u suggested could upset u, if it turns out that N had 2362 (not likely but u can insure just incase) and when u give ♠ to south he cashes ♥ J for 5th trick for them. (they already took 2♠+1♣ b4 u exit with last ♠)

Anyway...i think u can find the play from here, what i failed was, at the end, to figure if N started with 98 or 8x ♣

[gordontd]

MrAce, on 2011-February-27, 00:54, said:

T4- ♠ T, K, A, 2 (T alerted as normally denies J)

You alert defenders' plays of the cards? And consider that the lead of a T normally denying the J is unusual??

[dellache]

Clearly we can squeeze South if he had ♣KQ9x+ initially : the Diamonds will squeeze him in 3 suits (Heart exit, Spade trick or club trick).
We can also play for North having ♣K8 initially (cash Ace club now), or ♣8xx/98 (unlikely falsecard at trick 3).

The pointed suits situation is clear.
What about the Hearts ?
- first round says that South doesn't have KJ (North may have KJ though) ;
- Heart discard by South says he didnot have Jxxx. He could have Jxx and try not to give the show away in clubs (Club disc would mark him w/ 4315 ?)
- Heart discard by North is curious (to say the least) with useless diamonds. Maybe ♥KJxx+ ? How does he know that I have Qx ? Trust south's count ? mmm...

Anyway I will now cash the 3rd Diamond to extract another discard by south, and play a Heart to the Ace to assess the Heart situation (I'll see an honor now).
My next move will probably be to finesse South's ♣9, and if he kept black cards, to endplay him with my last Spade.

[MrAce]

dellache, on 2011-February-27, 04:20, said:

Clearly we can squeeze South if he had ♣KQ9x+ initially : the Diamonds will squeeze him in 3 suits (Heart exit, Spade trick or club trick).
We can also play for North having ♣K8 initially (cash Ace club now), or ♣8xx/98 (unlikely falsecard at trick 3).

The pointed suits situation is clear.
What about the Hearts ?
- first round says that South doesn't have KJ (North may have KJ though) ;
- Heart discard by South says he didnot have Jxxx. He could have Jxx and try not to give the show away in clubs (Club disc would mark him w/ 4315 ?)
- Heart discard by North is curious (to say the least) with useless diamonds. Maybe ♥KJxx+ ? How does he know that I have Qx ? Trust south's count ? mmm...

Anyway I will now cash the 3rd Diamond to extract another discard by south, and play a Heart to the Ace to assess the Heart situation (I'll see an honor now).
My next move will probably be to finesse South's ♣9, and if he kept black cards, to endplay him with my last Spade.

Weldone !

But south can discard a ♥ from Jxxx, since N hesitated a lot on first ♥ Q we know he has the K, of course his pd knows that too. But u answered what i was asking correctly. Cashing the 3rd ♦ makes it clear, and u guessed the ♣ position very well,

[gnasher]

Do you always assume that your opponents are unethical?

If South started with J108x Jxxx x KQ9x, of course he should throw a heart on the second diamond. It's inconceivable that declarer would play this way with KQxx KQx AKx A10x or KQxx KQx AK A10xx

[dellache]

gnasher, on 2011-February-27, 05:59, said:

Do you always assume that your opponents are unethical?
If South started with J108x Jxxx x KQ9x, of course he should throw a heart on the second diamond. It's inconceivable that declarer would play this way with KQxx KQx AKx A10x or KQxx KQx AK A10xx

Hi Andy.
Unethical I don't know, but "Strong" I wonder...

Isn't the Heart situation (Kxx/Jxxx) puzzling :
What about not covering the Queen initially with Kxx (usually wrong) ?
What about discarding a Heart next in Kx, allowing declarer to score all the Heart tricks if he had ♥QJ stiff ??
It's hard to believe real strong players would do that, or maybe they were careless.

Anyway I don't really think that it changes the general line of play which should be to cash diamonds.

[MrAce]

dellache, on 2011-February-27, 07:12, said:

Hi Andy.
Unethical I don't know, but "Strong" I wonder..

Isn't the Heart situation (Kxx/Jxxx) puzzling :
What about not covering the Queen initially with Kxx (usually wrong) ?
What about discarding a Heart next in Kx, allowing declarer to score all the Heart tricks if he had ♥QJ stiff ??
It's hard to believe real strong players would do that, or maybe they were careless.

Anyway I don't really think that it changes the general line of play which should be to cash diamonds.

-They were NOT unethical. They are people that i know and play frequently. Probably one of the most ethical pairs i know. George Jacobs and Steve Beatty.
When i mentioned hesitation, i wanted to give a hint where the ♥ K is.

-I never said in original hand ♥ were Kxx vs Jxxx, they were KJxx vs xxx. But as u stated cashing 3rd ♦ insures it regardless of how ♥ split.


EDIT: I just checked the hand records, i actually got it posted wrong at the first place, N had KJx ♥ and never discarded a ♥ and south had JTxx xxxx x KQ9x. Doesnt change anything in the line to success though but my bad sorry.

[dellache]

MrAce, on 2011-February-27, 07:54, said:

-They were NOT unethical. They are people that i know and play frequently. Probably one of the most ethical pairs i know. George Jacobs and Steve Beatty.
When i mentioned hesitation, i wanted to give a hint where the ♥ K is.

-I never said in original hand ♥ were Kxx vs Jxxx, they were KJxx vs xxx. But as u stated cashing 3rd ♦ insures it regardless of how ♥ split.


EDIT: I just checked the hand records, i actually got it posted wrong at the first place, N had KJx ♥ and never discarded a ♥ and south had JTxx xxxx x KQ9x. Doesnt change anything in the line to success though but my bad sorry.

I just said that the ethical problem could not arise if South had Jxxx, because the Kxx Vs Jxxx looked almost impossible (even by weak players) with the play so far.
You just confirmed that .