[alansc]

Scoring: IMP

Plan the play on low diamond lead. If you play A and another H, they continue diamonds.

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[pclayton]

Rethinking

[Cascade]

Assume 3NT?

[Echognome]

I'm gonna win the Q and knock out the spade first by playing a spade to the J. If it loses and a diamond comes back, then i will strand the diamonds for now and play A and another heart. Then...

If the ♠J loses to the K, I am pretty much home. Since I will win the second diamond and knock out the ♥. I will then have the ♠Q as an entry for the third diamond. And will have 3♠, 3♥, and 3♦.

If the ♠J wins (and it should by best defense I would think), then I will play A and another ♥. I will cash my ♥s pitching two ♣ and then strand my ♦ trick for now and play a spade to the T. Now...

If the ♠T loses to the K, I may go down on this hand. The ♠ are still blocked and I am going to have a hard time collecting all my tricks. However, if they play a ♦, then I will win the ♦A and hope that spades are 3-3. If they return a spade I am in a bit of trouble no matter how they break. So I think that now I will win in hand and play a club to the T.

If the ♠T wins, then I will cash ♠A and if they don't break I will just exit a spade.

[Cascade]

Echognome, on Feb 12 2008, 08:05 AM, said:

I'm gonna win the Q and knock out the spade first by playing a spade to the J.  If it loses and a diamond comes back, then i will strand the diamonds for now and play A and another heart.  Then...

If the ♠J loses to the K, I am pretty much home.  Since I will win the second diamond and knock out the ♥.  I will then have the ♠Q as an entry for the third diamond.  And will have 3♠, 3♥, and 3♦. 

If the ♠J wins (and it should by best defense I would think), then I will play A and another ♥.  I will cash my ♥s pitching two ♣ and then strand my ♦ trick for now and play a spade to the T.  Now...

If the ♠T loses to the K, I may go down on this hand.  The ♠ are still blocked and I am going to have a hard time collecting all my tricks.  However, if they play a ♦, then I will win the ♦A and hope that spades are 3-3.  If they return a spade I am in a bit of trouble no matter how they break.  So I think that now I will win in hand and play a club to the T.

If the ♠T wins, then I will cash ♠A and if they don't break I will just exit a spade.

... What if you have three club losers while you go about this?

Oh and did you really mean ♠J as that is in the same hand as the ♦ Q where you win trick one?

[Echognome]

Cascade, on Feb 11 2008, 11:37 AM, said:

... What if you have three club losers while you go about this?

Will listen to suggestions about what I can about that...

I guess there might be some variants in certain circumstances. Haven't thought about those yet.

[Echognome]

Cascade, on Feb 11 2008, 11:37 AM, said:

Oh and did you really mean ♠J as that is in the same hand as the ♦ Q where you win trick one?

Good point. But I will stick by playing the ♠J from dummy then at Trick 2.

[Cascade]

Echognome, on Feb 12 2008, 08:38 AM, said:

Cascade, on Feb 11 2008, 11:37 AM, said:

... What if you have three club losers while you go about this?

Will listen to suggestions about what I can about that...

I guess there might be some variants in certain circumstances. Haven't thought about those yet.

Well you can knockout the heart first and then bank on the spade finesse if they take three clubs.

[brianshark]

Edit: never mind.

[TimG]

Cascade, on Feb 11 2008, 02:48 PM, said:

Well you can knockout the heart first and then bank on the spade finesse if they take three clubs.

Can the defenders, when in with the heart, take three club tricks without setting up two club tricks for declarer's side? Two clubs, three diamonds, three hearts and one spade gets you home.

I think the spade kings needs to be onside.

[pclayton]

Earlier I played with leading the ♠J and 10 from the board. This gives me an extra entry to hand for the hearts, but it tangles my spade tricks.

As others have indicated, if everything is foul, then the defense looks poised to take 3♣ and two major kings. Maybe even a diamond or 2 with the tempo.

At first I thought this was an entry-management hand, but now I'm not so sure.

[alansc]

What I did at the table was play Ace and another heart. Win the diamond return and played a spade to the 10 hoping they would return a diamond if it lost. If it lost, I was hoping for a diamond return(which is what happened). If it won, I was leading a spade off dummy. A hard hand when you have nine tricks.

[alansc]

Forgot to mention, the HK was on my left. If it was on my right, I probably would have led the SQ.

[pclayton]

alansc, on Feb 12 2008, 07:54 AM, said:

What I did at the table was play Ace and another heart. Win the diamond return and played a spade to the 10 hoping they would return a diamond if it lost. If it lost, I was hoping for a diamond return(which is what happened). If it won, I was leading a spade off dummy. A hard hand when you have nine tricks.

You cashed your hearts when you were in hand with the 2nd diamond right? The board doesn't get squoze yet.

It seems this line can easily strand you in dummy if the spade hook wins. I suppose you have to guess the ♠K. If its on your left, you'd want to lead the ♠Q, preparing to endplay someone with the 4th spade or hoping they are 3-3. If its on your right, low to the J then low back to hand looks best.