[bhall]

Scoring: IMP

Lead: ♠5
Plan the play.

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[matmat]

i take the spade finesse. if it wins no problem. i clear 3 rounds of trump, cash diamond king and give up a club, if necessary, pitching my hearts on the two good diamonds in dummy.

if it loses i win the return (assuming no ♠ ruff by opps). unblock diamonds, cash two rounds of trump ending in dummy and try to pitch my hearts on the two diamonds.

I guess another option if the spade hook loses is to take the heart hook and try to ruff a heart.

[awm]

How about:

Win the spade ace, cash two rounds of diamonds (unblocking king under ace) to pitch the spade loser. Take heart finesse. If heart finesse wins, the hand is virtually cold (play club ace, if the suit breaks or LHO shows out we're done, otherwise play heart ace and ruff a heart). If the heart finesse loses, LHO is on lead and can't really hurt us, and the plan is to ruff the third heart in dummy. Even if the diamonds go 6-1 we can get back to dummy with club ace and have a shot at making if the heart finesse wins and hearts are not 6-2 or worse.

As compared to Matt's line... his line is virtually cold if the spade finesse wins, whereas this line is virtually cold if the heart finesse wins. But when the major suit finesse fails, this line still succeeds any time we get decent breaks (hearts 5-3, diams 5-2, clubs 3-1 will be plenty) whereas Matt's line requires either clubs 2-2 or clubs 3-1 with diams 4-3.

[bid_em_up]

Why don't we just duck the 1st spade altogether and take 7 clubs, 3 diamonds and the two major suit aces?

Or is that just too easy?

Even if RHO has Jxxx clubs we still have squeeze chances.
Edit: Typing before thinking, if RHO has Jxxx of clubs, we still have 7 club tricks.

This, I think loses only if the spade lead is stiff (and LHO has at least 1 club). If LHO has 4 clubs, we would need to finesse somewhere, but I think it is a lesser play to cater to this possibility.

[Winstonm]

Small from dummy trick 1.

[Trumpace]

bid_em_up, on Oct 23 2007, 04:09 PM, said:

Why don't we just duck the 1st spade altogether and take 7 clubs, 3 diamonds and the two major suit aces?

<snip>

I like this line!

[bhall]

Bid 'em up has got it right, AFAIK.

Neglecting a few extremely unlikely layouts, ducking only loses when spades are 1-6. Finessing only gains against other lines when clubs are 4-0 offside. Rising, pitching, and hooking (adam's line) loses when hearts are 6-2 offside with ♥K offside or clubs are 4-0 either side and the ♥K is offside. Ducking picks up clubs 4-0 onside. That line appears to be about 92%, while adam's line is about 85% (because he loses to the ♥K 3/4 of the time when ♥s are 6-2 offside).

In the actual layout, either adam's line or the duck works. ♦s were 5-2 and ♣s 1-3, and both major K's were offside. Naturally, our opponents bid 6N. Partner tried the 75% line of rising, playing to the ♦K, ♣K and A, ♦A and Q.

In the middle of the next match, he saw the light.

[Winstonm]

bid_em_up, on Oct 23 2007, 04:09 PM, said:

Why don't we just duck the 1st spade altogether and take 7 clubs, 3 diamonds and the two major suit aces?

Or is that just too easy?

Even if RHO has Jxxx clubs we still have squeeze chances.

This, I think loses only if the spade lead is stiff (and LHO has at least 1 club).  If LHO has 4 clubs, we would need to finesse somewhere, but I think it is a lesser play to cater to this possibility.

This is the line I also chose - but there are no squeeze chances and best play will go down if clubs are 4-0.

Why?

Best defense.
Trick 2 - spade back.

Now the only entry to dummy is the club A, and it must be right to play low to the King to unblock the diamond King.

[matmat]

Winstonm, on Oct 23 2007, 06:45 PM, said:

Why?

Best defense.
Trick 2 - spade back.

Now the only entry to dummy is the club A, and it must be right to play low to the King to unblock the diamond King.

spade back is no problem at all.

pull three rounds of trumps starting with the high trump in dummy. if they broke or 4-0 onside , you have the high spade and ♦Q to discard your two losing hearts with the ♦A as an entry.

trump 4-0 offside does sink you.

[Winstonm]

matmat, on Oct 23 2007, 07:14 PM, said:

Winstonm, on Oct 23 2007, 06:45 PM, said:

Why?

Best defense.
Trick 2 - spade back.

Now the only entry to dummy is the club A, and it must be right to play low to the King to unblock the diamond King.

spade back is no problem at all.

pull three rounds of trumps starting with the high trump in dummy. if they broke or 4-0 onside , you have the high spade and ♦Q to discard your two losing hearts with the ♦A as an entry.

trump 4-0 offside does sink you.

True enough.