[Walddk]

Scoring: IMP

S: 3NT
Lead: DK

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I watched all 720 boards during the European Championships. I was probably the only one (idiot?) who did, but I have no regrets. It is no surprise that one can find lots of exciting hands over that many boards, but the one you see in the diagram above must simply be the deal of the championships. A gem, nothing less, at least it is in my view.

Say you are declarer in 3NT after an uncontested auction where you have shown clubs and hearts and partner the other two suits. LHO finds the devastating lead of ♦K. A Merrimac Coup on the blind lead; amazing!

You can obviously run it through a double dummy solver to see if you can make it or not, but try not to. Do you still want to be declarer after that lead, or do you want Bocchi or Duboin to take over and let you have one of their seats as defender?

Roland

[Fluffy]

Ducking the lead brings only 8 tricks I think, so you must take, but then West will be carefull to unblock Q10♥ so you won't get to dummy ever.

But wait!, if he unblocks defence will only make 2♥+2♣ meaning your contract made.

So I think best line is to win 2♦, 1♠, then play a club, West plays a heart honnor ducked to me, and I play another heart on wich west wins but has to play a heart and I score 2♦+1♠+2♥+4♣. Wich is a winner line.

[syl]

What about winning the fist trick, leading another diamond, unblocking the ace of spades and leading a club. West cant lead spade or diamond at this point as dummy has enough tricks. It also seems a wrong idea from east to overtake the king of clubs as 5 club tricks+an additional heart in the engame (even with a heart exit after the club ace) is enough for south.
So after the club king west has to lead a heart.
a) Small heart. If east takes it and returns either a club or a heart the club suit will be established, the heart suit blocked ie. the queen falls and both hands will be high. If east witholds the ace the jack will win, club ace knocked and even with a club exit ew will be unable to score more then 2 heart tricks. In some positions declerer has to withold a high club to protect the dummy to be (pseudo) squeezed.
b-c) 10 or q ducked by east creats a similar position mentioned above.

[Ant590]

Who, if anyone lead the ♦K?

[syl]

GD

[Codo]

Ant590, on Jul 1 2008, 07:28 AM, said:

Who, if anyone lead the ♦K?

Duboin of Italy did so, but I am not sure if he should earn all the credits. I thought that he understood the bidding in a way that Diamonds had been the unbidden suit, so the lead was still spectacular but a little less spectular then it seems.

For the hand: I know that 3 NT is makeable if you win the first trick. But even double dummy I don't see how.

[Walddk]

Codo, on Jul 1 2008, 09:11 AM, said:

For the hand: I know that 3 NT is makeable if you win the first trick. But even double dummy I don't see how.

You can also make it if you duck. What you can't do is to win trick 1 and lead ♣Q (as declarer did).

Roland

[kfay]

Seems to me that it's best to duck this trick.

A shift gives declarer no problems so W continues with a small diamond taken in dummy.

Declarer now cashes diamonds and jettisons his ♠A, then cashes ♠s.

On the run of the diamonds W can't pitch 3 spades nor can he ptich ♣K otherwise declarer has no problem getting 4♠s, 4♦s and 1♣. So he comes down to ♠98764 ♥Q10 ♦void ♣K.

When declarer leads a ♥ at trick 10 he'll score his ♥K now or when E hops A and plays a low ♣ to W's K he'll get it at the end.