Posted 2024-May-27, 10:30
The BBF glitch won’t let me post a spoiler so I held off for a while but nobody’s answered so:
In dummy, playing on trump is awkward since I don’t know how tgey split but I need to be in dummy and I need some ruffs. So run the spade Queen
If it’s covered, pull a round of trump…in hand…assuming no bad news, pull another one. If they’re 2-2 I have 13 tricks.
If they’re 3=1, leave the third one outstanding, cash the spades, pitching a heart and go about your business, making 12 or 13 tricks but never failing.
If the spade hook wins but wasn’t covered then, except against novices, it’s fair to assume RHO has Kxxx(x)(x), although west might have led a stiff.
Anyway, I repeat the hook. I’ll cash a high trump before cashing the spade king…if LHO ruffs, I pitch a heart. There’s now only one trump missing so I’m cold. If the spade ace survives, I’ll play a club to dummy’s 10. If trump are 2-2, I claim. If 3=2 I ruff a diamond, ruff a major, ruff a diamond, ruff a spade (assuming tge king hasn’t come down) pull trump and I have 12 tricks.
If the spade hook loses, west may return a club. Or not. Exactly how I play depends on what he plays and, if a club, how trump break, and the analysis takes several forks so I’ll not post further at this time. I’ve gone far beyond the OP question but one should never decide on one’s trick 2 play (in fact, one should never call for even a stiff in dummy at trick one until one has formulated a tentative plan) without knowing how one plans to play depending on what happens next.
'one of the great markers of the advance of human kindness is the howls you will hear from the Men of God' Johann Hari