[mikeh]

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Imps. 2C was drury, 2H was natural, with game interest

Opening lead was the club 6. Declarer calls for the King, you win the Ace, on which declarer plays the 9. Partner is marked with a singleton club.

How do you defend, and why?

[DavidKok]

Spoiler

The club ace, ruff and ace of spades only make three tricks, which also establishes dummy's clubs in the process. Also any heart honours our side holds are placed favourably for declarer. We have to kill dummy's club suit, and I think the only way that does it is getting partner to ruff a club, followed by partner playing a diamond. Then we can hold up the spade ace as many times as needed to make sure the ♠10 does not become an entry, and partner can ruff if declarer goes for a third round of clubs. So return a low club, asking for a diamond. However, there's more to the hand - declarer can likely ruff diamonds in dummy to develop hearts before drawing trumps, and I don't see how we stop that.

[smerriman]

DavidKok, on 2022-September-27, 01:55, said:

Also any heart honours our side holds are placed favourably for declarer.

The opposite, if I'm reading the diagram correctly.

Spoiler

So I would lead a heart to set up the 4th trick before it's too late / declarer throws them on the clubs. Hopefully partner has the ♥K and a second trump.

[Cyberyeti]

DavidKok, on 2022-September-27, 01:55, said:

Spoiler

The club ace, ruff and ace of spades only make three tricks, which also establishes dummy's clubs in the process. Also any heart honours our side holds are placed favourably for declarer. We have to kill dummy's club suit, and I think the only way that does it is getting partner to ruff a club, followed by partner playing a diamond. Then we can hold up the spade ace as many times as needed to make sure the ♠10 does not become an entry, and partner can ruff if declarer goes for a third round of clubs. So return a low club, asking for a diamond. However, there's more to the hand - declarer can likely ruff diamonds in dummy to develop hearts before drawing trumps, and I don't see how we stop that.

Spoiler

it appears partner has 2 trumps so there is no rush to take the ruff, it appears declarer is 5422, so if declarer has anything less than ♥ AK a heart return beats this.

However if declarer has less than ♥ AK in a 5422 so does a diamond. He can only cash 2 more clubs discarding hearts before you ruff. [edited, I meant after taking the ruff]

I don't think declarer can be 6412 unless your partner is going to pass with 8 diamonds first up which is where it might be important to take the ruff.

[smerriman]

Cyberyeti, on 2022-September-27, 03:55, said:

Spoiler

However if declarer has less than ♥ AK in a 5422 so does a diamond. He can only cash 2 more clubs discarding hearts before you ruff.

Spoiler

I think if you return a diamond and declarer has AQxx of hearts, partner will end up getting endplayed at some point.

[DavidKok]

Oh, I misread the diagram. That explains it, oops.

[michel444]

partner have a singlton club and maybe 2 spade
return the Jack of Diamond

[eagles123]

I'm struggling to come up with a construction where declarer is 5422 and A) doesn't have an immediate game bid, and B) partner doesn't have a 3D preempt. So think maybe declarer is 5332. Something like QJxxx AKJ Kxx xx seems possible, giving partner Kx Qxxx T9xxxx x, where we can beat the hand by giving partner a club ruff and scoring three trump tricks and the Ace of clubs. Therefore I'm probably wrong but I play a club.

Thanks Mike for a great problem, look forward to seeing the solution!

[Cyberyeti]

smerriman, on 2022-September-27, 04:09, said:

Spoiler

I think if you return a diamond and declarer has AQxx of hearts, partner will end up getting endplayed at some point.

Spoiler

Sorry, I should have been clearer, I meant a diamond return from partner AFTER taking the club ruff

[mycroft]

Having seen every single one of these defence hands in the last [time period] have at least one "wrong seat" or "wrong hand" response (and having done it myself at least once, too), I think we need to have the base information spelled out at the beginning (either before the hand diagram or before the start of the explanations). Either that or have a 4-hand diagram (which I'm not sure how to create).

Even with the auction sitting there, people get it wrong, because they first have to figure out what seat is their hand, and then what the auction was in relation to their seat.

So (assuming I'm getting this right):

"IMPs. 2♣ Drury, 2♥ NAT w/Game interest. You are South. Partner leads the ♣6 and you see this dummy (East)."

[nullve]

Spoiler

I'm hoping for a layout like

---

in which case I need to return a heart.

[eagles123]

nullve, on 2022-September-27, 11:22, said:

I'm hoping for a layout like

Spoiler

---

in which case I need to return a heart.

Spoiler

Surely W just bids game with that?

[nullve]

eagles123, on 2022-September-27, 11:23, said:

Spoiler

Surely W just bids game with that?

Spoiler

Well, he knows that a 4-4 heart fit could yield an extra trick.

[smerriman]

mycroft, on 2022-September-27, 08:08, said:

Either that or have a 4-hand diagram (which I'm not sure how to create).

The simplest option is adding the play to date - if you add &p=c6ckcac9 to the end of the URL, you get to click Next through the play too:

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[johnu]

Cyberyeti, on 2022-September-27, 07:41, said:

Spoiler

Sorry, I should have been clearer, I meant a diamond return from partner AFTER taking the club ruff

Spoiler

After the diamond return, declarer plays a low trump to hand and continues a high trump. You have to duck twice, else declarer can win ♥A return, and draw trumps ending in dummy to run the clubs. If you duck twice, declarer can ruff a diamond, and get 3 pitches, 2 on clubs that you have to follow suit on, and the 3rd is tossing the last loser if you ruff with ♠A.

If you return a 2nd diamond after winning ♠A, declarer still makes if they have ♦K or 5=5=1=2 distribution.

If declarer has ♥K instead of ♦K and 5=4=2=2? I don't think you can beat the contract unless partner has ♠Kx and you need to give an immediate club ruff at trick 2 in which case heart and diamond returns are losers.

[johnu]

smerriman, on 2022-September-27, 14:11, said:

The simplest option is adding the play to date - if you add &p=c6ckcac9 to the end of the URL, you get to click Next through the play too:

Another potential option is to add/change the names of the players, e.g. Make West Declarer, East Dummy, North Opening leader/LHO/etc, South You/RHO/etc.

[Cyberyeti]

johnu, on 2022-September-27, 16:34, said:

Spoiler

After the diamond return, declarer plays a low trump to hand and continues a high trump. You have to duck twice, else declarer can win ♥A return, and draw trumps ending in dummy to run the clubs. If you duck twice, declarer can ruff a diamond, and get 3 pitches, 2 on clubs that you have to follow suit on, and the 3rd is tossing the last loser if you ruff with ♠A.

If you return a 2nd diamond after winning ♠A, declarer still makes if they have ♦K or 5=5=1=2 distribution.

If declarer has ♥K instead of ♦K and 5=4=2=2? I don't think you can beat the contract unless partner has ♠Kx and you need to give an immediate club ruff at trick 2 in which case heart and diamond returns are losers.

Spoiler

I was assuming declarer didn't have as much as a 16 count, I don't normally play Drury and thought 2♥ was minimum, so I was defending against KQJxx, A???, xx, xx, I wasn't worried about 5512 as that meant partner passed with 8 diamonds which wasn't going to happen

[johnu]

Cyberyeti, on 2022-September-28, 04:24, said:

Spoiler

I was assuming declarer didn't have as much as a 16 count, I don't normally play Drury and thought 2♥ was minimum, so I was defending against KQJxx, A???, xx, xx, I wasn't worried about 5512 as that meant partner passed with 8 diamonds which wasn't going to happen

Spoiler

While OP stated Drury, probably they were playing reverse Drury which is most common these days. So a 2♠ rebid would show a sub-minimum, and other bids are at least a minimum hand.

Still opener could easily have a 14 count like

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As for passing with an 8 card diamond suit, maybe North is a GIB or learned to bid from GIB where passing with a 9 or 10 card suit is possible. Or maybe 8 to the 10 doesn't look like a good preempt to them.

[Cyberyeti]

johnu, on 2022-September-28, 18:00, said:

Spoiler

While OP stated Drury, probably they were playing reverse Drury which is most common these days. So a 2♠ rebid would show a sub-minimum, and other bids are at least a minimum hand.

Still opener could easily have a 14 count like

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As for passing with an 8 card diamond suit, maybe North is a GIB or learned to bid from GIB where passing with a 9 or 10 card suit is possible. Or maybe 8 to the 10 doesn't look like a good preempt to them.

Spoiler

I also assumed partner didn't have ♥ KQ or he'd ignore my request for a diamond and switch to that (which must show a trump trick, probably the ace)

[smerriman]

Cyberyeti, on 2022-September-29, 01:33, said:

Spoiler

I also assumed partner didn't have ♥ KQ or he'd ignore my request for a diamond and switch to that (which must show a trump trick, probably the ace)

Spoiler

So give declarer AQxx of hearts and KJxxx (or KQxxx) of trumps and there's a 13/14 count where a heart return is the only winning defense.