[hanp]

I'd like to share three hands from the first day of the bridge festival in Utrecht. This first hand is more a story than a question but I'll leave the end open.

Scoring: MP

1H - 1S
2D - 2NT
3NT

---

In the second swiss match I found myself in this light game. But the opponents were not very strong so I had some hope.

LHO led a club to RHO's king, I tried to duck smoothly. RHO returned a small club and I stuck in the 9 for LHO's 10.

I thought I'd be in good shape on another club return but no, LHO played the king of spades. I won in dummy and played a spade to my 8, which held. I then played the jack of spades, and LHO ducked after some thought. The position was the following:

Scoring: MP

1H - 1S
2D - 2NT
3NT

---

What to continue?

[Fluffy]

heart to the 9 and strip LHO seems fun, but if LHO has ♦K it will be ridicoulous, so its just a diamond guess I think. I'd try heat to 9

[JLOGIC]

Am I misreading this?

Edit: I think i did misread

[gnasher]

Fluffy, on Jul 11 2010, 11:02 AM, said:

heart to the 9 and strip LHO seems fun, but if LHO has ♦K it will be ridicoulous, so its just a diamond guess I think. I'd try heat to 9

Even if that works, it's only eight tricks - RHO just returns a heart.

[JLOGIC]

gnasher, on Jul 11 2010, 09:19 AM, said:

Fluffy, on Jul 11 2010, 11:02 AM, said:

heart to the 9 and strip LHO seems fun, but if LHO has ♦K it will be ridicoulous, so its just a diamond guess I think. I'd try heat to 9

Even if that works, it's only eight tricks - RHO just returns a heart.

You cash 3 hearts discarding your 2 diamonds and a club, then you cash your DA. LHO is forced to come down to 2 clubs and a spade with you, and you put him in with a spade.

RHO can stop you if he's up to the task though, but it's tough!

I agree with ducking a heart. If LHO has 4234 with the DK, he might have had a takeout double (depending on if he had a heart honor). If LHO had 4324, RHO is a favorite to hold the DK.

[Fluffy]

at first I though this hand involved playing ♦Q from dummy and ducking RHO's ♦K to really strip LHO but sadly the trick count is not good enough for it, would be a beautiful play.

[gnasher]

JLOGIC, on Jul 11 2010, 08:59 PM, said:

RHO can stop you if he's up to the task though, but it's tough!

How? If he plays back a low diamond, we cash the red winners ending in hand and endplay LHO. If he plays back ♦K from four, we win, cash ♣A, and endplay RHO with the third round of diamonds. If he plays back ♦K from three, we let him win it. If he ducks the first heart, we use the fourth round of hearts to endplay him.

[JLOGIC]

I was thinking he could play the DK. This works if LHO is 4234 I think.

[gnasher]

JLOGIC, on Jul 12 2010, 09:50 AM, said:

I was thinking he could play the DK. This works if LHO is 4234 I think.

Not if we know his shape - we just duck it, and make a long diamond.

[Free]

(I suppose East produced ♠9)

Cash ♥A, K and T. See what happens...