[lamford]

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Lead 5♠. Fourth best. Weak Opponents

[dst463]

I'm tempted to win in hand and try to steal a spade trick with the 8 on trick 2. I probably need some help anyway and that might look innocent enough to a weak opponent. If that doesn't work, I'll play clubs and pray something good happens.

[lamford]

dst463, on 2017-February-16, 14:01, said:

I'm tempted to win in hand and try to steal a spade trick with the 8 on trick 2. I probably need some help anyway and that might look innocent enough to a weak opponent. If that doesn't work, I'll play clubs and pray something good happens.

That will not work as they will split on the second round for sure ... If instead you win the first spade in South and play a club, they will win, play a heart and continue spades. They might duck a round of clubs, but it will come to the same thing.

[Kaitlyn S]

lamford, on 2017-February-16, 12:21, said:

Weak Opponents

I think this is necessary.

So I have to promote all my winners without giving the opponents any length trick. I want to take out West's entries early in case East has a second spade so I win ♠K and lead a heart to my ♥10 which also gives the opponents the impression that I'm working on hearts. Hopefully East will signal when discarding on a spade so I'll know which suit to lead to get the ace taken on the first round.

[lamford]

Kaitlyn S, on 2017-February-16, 20:46, said:

I think this is necessary.

So I have to promote all my winners without giving the opponents any length trick. I want to take out West's entries early in case East has a second spade so I win ♠K and lead a heart to my ♥10 which also gives the opponents the impression that I'm working on hearts. Hopefully East will signal when discarding on a spade so I'll know which suit to lead to get the ace taken on the first round.

Sadly this will not work, as West will win the first heart - she has AK - and continue spades. To make the hand one has to put in the eight of spades on the first round, and, surprisingly, this is a no-cost play. Indeed, had West led the normal jack from JT9xx, you would have made easily. She led her fourth best of her longest and strongest, and I missed the no-cost play of the eight! West had JT9xx AKx Axx xx, so she had found the only spade lead to trouble you. (ace, king and another heart would have worked too).

[Kaitlyn S]

lamford, on 2017-February-17, 14:45, said:

Sadly this will not work, as West will win the first heart - she has AK - and continue spades. To make the hand one has to put in the eight of spades on the first round, and, surprisingly, this is a no-cost play.

Not sure this is a no-cost play against weak opposition (and of course I didn't think it was THIS weak ) because I think it's worth something to lead the first heart from dummy if West has only two entries, especially if East has the ♥K and West has the ♥A. However, if you are going to win the first spade in hand, the eight is indeed no-cost.

[phil_20686]

lamford, on 2017-February-17, 14:45, said:

Sadly this will not work, as West will win the first heart - she has AK - and continue spades. To make the hand one has to put in the eight of spades on the first round, and, surprisingly, this is a no-cost play. Indeed, had West led the normal jack from JT9xx, you would have made easily. She led her fourth best of her longest and strongest, and I missed the no-cost play of the eight! West had JT9xx AKx Axx xx, so she had found the only spade lead to trouble you. (ace, king and another heart would have worked too).

This is not even good enough though, in most cases they will win the first club and play a heart. So even if you plan to steal 4 spades somehow, you are sure to table the diamond Q next and steal one diamond before clubs. I do not understand thinking an opponent is so weak that they will lead small from JT9xx but that they will always split from J975 after small T Q does not make sense at all imo. I would think that a player that does not see the merit in leading the J from JT9xx will never imagine that you might be planning to put in the 8....

I mean there are a ton of weak players who would likely lead a spade from T75 Axxx Axx Axx because they do not like to lead away from aces, which is why I would be a bit concerned about trying to hook the spade 8 on the way back.

I have no idea what the "best line" to steal this contract is though. Everything seems pretty hopeless.

[SteveMoe]

I'll try the ♠8 at trick 1. Could be the 4th trick in that suit. If not, win and push a low ♣ toward dummy. Expect to win this. Now ♥Q should allow me to push one control out of West's hand. If right, then work on ♣ then ♦ (once) then ♥ once then ♦ again. Or something roughly similar.