[VixTD]

---

With no opposition bidding (South had shown 16-18 hcp with good spades, but hadn't shown hearts, if it makes any difference) South reached 6♠ and West led ♦2.

What's the best line of play?

[robert2734]

♦ A, ♠ K, ♠ A, leave the master trump out. ♥ A, ♥ Q run it, ♥ J run it, If the hearts broke 4-3 or the 9 dropped, claim conceding the q of spades. Otherwise we need 3-3 clubs to pitch the heart 8. King of clubs, ace of clubs, ruff a club, ruff a heart, throw a heart on the clubs. if the Q of spades drop, draw the last trump and concede the king of hearts.

[robert2734]

If the ♠ Q drops, then ♥ A, ruff the ♥ 8, come to your hand with a diamond ruff, draw the last trump, knock out the ♥ K and claim.

[nige1]

VixTD, on 2016-May-09, 07:09, said:

With no opposition bidding (South had shown 16-18 hcp with good spades, but hadn't shown hearts, if it makes any difference) South reached 6♠ and West led ♦2. What's the best line of play?

Robert's line is fine. An alternative line is ♦A, ♥A, ruff a ♥. Unless ♥K drops, ruff a ♦, ruff-finesse ♥Q. If that loses, finesse ♠J.

---

[wanoff]

Prefer to get straight onto the ruffing finesse, and now with normal breaks it's 1 of 2 finesses.
Also if the ♥K comes down in 3 you can handle some 4-1 trump breaks.

[robert2734]

Quote

Robert's line is fine. An alternative line is ♦A, ♥A, ruff a ♥. Unless ♥K drops, ruff a ♦, ruff-finesse ♥Q. If that loses, finesse ♠J. [/hv]

If ruff-finesse ♥Q loses, east continues the fourth round of hearts. West ruffs high with ♠ Qx, ♠ 10x, or ♠ 9x and now you can't pick up the trumps. If west has ♠ xx, you overruff with the 8 and the king is the second entry you need to pull off a trump coupe when the clubs are 3-3.

[wanoff]

robert2734, on 2016-May-09, 19:53, said:

If ruff-finesse ♥Q loses, east continues the fourth round of hearts. West ruffs high with ♠ Qx, ♠ 10x, or ♠ 9x and now you can't pick up the trumps. If west has ♠ xx, you overruff with the 8 and the king is the second entry you need to pull off a trump coupe when the clubs are 3-3.

Have you noticed that your line also fails on most of these ?

[VixTD]

This was the full hand:

---

I got straight into the ruffing finesse, and after it lost took the spade finesse as the best chance in the suit for no loser. If the ♥Q had held I'd have cashed the top spades and repeated the ruffing finesse.

My partner thought a better line was to play a heart to the queen and then ruff two hearts in dummy, or take the spade finesse if it loses, losing only when both major honours are with West. I didn't think much of that line, although you're safe from an overruff so long as East is known to hold ♥K (and he can hardly ditch it), it increases the chances of two trump losers.

When my partner gave the hand to his regular partner he made it by dropping the ♠Q after West played the ten on the first round, and maybe I should have done that, although I'm not sure the restricted choice implications of this are simple to work out.

They're both better players than me, so I was wondering how badly I'd played it.

[Winstonm]

I saw this as a straight cross-ruff, banking on a 4-3 heart split and not needing much else has to go right.

[Dinarius]

Winstonm, on 2016-May-11, 08:46, said:

I saw this as a straight cross-ruff, banking on a 4-3 heart split and not needing much else has to go right.

Agreed.

D.

[VixTD]

Winstonm, on 2016-May-11, 08:46, said:

I saw this as a straight cross-ruff, banking on a 4-3 heart split and not needing much else has to go right.

Doesn't my line work unless both major honours are wrong (about 76%), whereas a 4-3 split is only about 62%?

My partner gave the problem to two Hacketts. One of them followed my partner's line and made the contract, the other my line and went off. I feel better now.

[robert2734]

wanoff, on 2016-May-11, 02:38, said:

Have you noticed that your line also fails on most of these ?

I pick up Qx, not the rest of them. Which has the distinction of being the actual position at the table. Your finesse line of play only works if east has three hearts and can't give his partner an uppercut.