[lamford]

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Contract 6♠ Lead T♣
Only five declarers out of 32 reached this poor slam in the European Team Championships, and I had the ignominy of being the only one to go down. My partner, very sensibly, suggested I should have made my "game" try in diamonds, as slam was likely to be good if he accepted that. I mumbled something about not wanting to be in slam opposite xxx in hearts but that was brushed aside. Having bid it poorly, I now had a chance to play it poorly as well, or so my teammates thought. If you win the opening lead and play heart to the queen and take the ruffing club finesse, all will pass peacefully, East covering with the king of clubs. Now what?

[Cyberyeti]

My first thought was to ruff a club.

If the K comes down we're home if trumps are 3-2.

If it doesn't, spade to the Q and a diamond intending to play the 10 since flying the ace and playing the 4th club would beat me.

[Tramticket]

Cyberyeti, on 2018-June-13, 05:15, said:

My first thought was to ruff a club.

If the K comes down we're home if trumps are 3-2.

If it doesn't, spade to the Q and a diamond intending to play the 10 since flying the ace and playing the 4th club would beat me.

I don't understand this. Are you winning the ♣A, crossing to dummy (with the ♥Q) and then playing a low club, hoping for the king to drop? You need clubs to be 5-2 and the king in the short hand. but if clubs are 5-2 you don't have a long club. or have I misunderstood?

The lack of entries makes it very difficult to set up and enjoy clubs. An alternative approach might be to win ♣A. cross to the ♥Q and run the ♦J hoping that East hold both of the ♦Q and ♦9. But, this seems to need a lot.

[Cyberyeti]

Tramticket, on 2018-June-13, 06:24, said:

I don't understand this. Are you winning the ♣A, crossing to dummy (with the ♥Q) and then playing a low club, hoping for the king to drop? You need clubs to be 5-2 and the king in the short hand. but if clubs are 5-2 you don't have a long club. or have I misunderstood?

The lack of entries makes it very difficult to set up and enjoy clubs. An alternative approach might be to win ♣A. cross to the ♥Q and run the ♦J hoping that East hold both of the ♦Q and ♦9. But, this seems to need a lot.

No I'm taking it from where Lamford left off.

A♣, ♥AQ (which is I assume what he meant rather than AK), Q♣ holds ditching a diamond, then what I said.

[JanisW]

This is how I unterstood it.

1. won by A♣
2. A♥
3. small to Q♥
4. Q♣ covered by the K and ruffed
5. somehow crossed to dummy (♥-ruff or small to the Q♠)
6. J♣ and ♦ pitched
?

now I cannot ruff a ♣ because I will setup a trump-looser.
Asuming I crossed to the Q♠ I now have to play a second round of trumps and get back to dummy for the ♦-Finesse by ruffing the 7♥
If I don't do that, defense can promote a trump-trick by ruffing a 4th round of clubs.

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1. ♣ 10 2 4 A
2. ♥ A 6 5 2
3. ♥ 3 9 Q 4
4. ♣ Q K ♠4 3
5. ♠ 6 9 Q 7
6. ♣ J 7 ♦4 8

And now taking the ♦-Finess looses to A followed by a ♣ while

7. ♠ to K
8. ♥ ruff

and only now taking the Finesse wins.

[Phil]

Cyberyeti, on 2018-June-13, 05:15, said:

My first thought was to ruff a club.

If the K comes down we're home if trumps are 3-2.

If it doesn't, spade to the Q and a diamond intending to play the 10 since flying the ace and playing the 4th club would beat me.

Im pretty sure RHO covers the club with Kxx.

[Cyberyeti]

OK, I misunderstood what happened in Lamford's post, I thought the Q♣ held, if it's covered and you ruff that's different.

Now It does look like the club position is 109xx/Kxx.

There are several ways of getting home but they all require a diamond to the 10/K at the right time dodging promotions on clubs and hearts.

Your line is correct Janis and you simply have to guess whether to play the K or 10 in diamonds, I play the 10 because it's just possible the club layout is 109x/K8xx where if the A♦ is flown a club defeats the contract.

[Tramticket]

Cyberyeti, on 2018-June-13, 09:42, said:

OK, I misunderstood what happened in Lamford's post, I thought the Q♣ held, if it's covered and you ruff that's different.

Now It does look like the club position is 109xx/Kxx.

There are several ways of getting home but they all require a diamond to the 10/K at the right time dodging promotions on clubs and hearts.

Your line is correct Janis and you simply have to guess whether to play the K or 10 in diamonds, I play the 10 because it's just possible the club layout is 109x/K8xx where if the A♦ is flown a club defeats the contract.

I'm sort of agreeing with Janis's line too, but even if you guess right in the diamonds you might still have a problem. If East started with three trumps and west started with four hearts you will now suffer a ruff if you play the Jack and West has the Ace, I think. On the other hand, if East has the ace of diamonds and West has the third trump a club will upper-cut you I think?

[Tramticket]

Tramticket, on 2018-June-13, 10:41, said:

I'm sort of agreeing with Janis's line too, but even if you guess right in the diamonds you might still have a problem. If East started with three trumps and west started with four hearts you will now suffer a ruff if you play the Jack and West has the Ace, I think. On the other hand, if East has the ace of diamonds and West has the third trump a club will upper-cut you I think?

Thinking further, East will rise with the ♦A if he has it and try for the Upper-cut. On this basis, you should finesse the ♦10, playing East for the ♦Q.

[Cyberyeti]

Tramticket, on 2018-June-13, 10:49, said:

Thinking further, East will rise with the ♦A if he has it and try for the Upper-cut. On this basis, you should finesse the ♦10, playing East for the ♦Q.

Which is pretty much what I was trying to say

[Tramticket]

Cyberyeti, on 2018-June-13, 11:02, said:

Which is pretty much what I was trying to say

[lamford]

Sorry about the slightly garbled posting folks. I spoke to one declarer who made it on the ten of clubs lead and he guessed the diamonds in the ending. The trump promotion is a mirage, and I am now certain I misplayed it. The right line is to cross to the queen of hearts and lead the jack of diamonds at trick three. If East covers with the queen, you later take the ruffing club finesse and need that and other things to behave. If he plays low, I think you rise with the king on the Zia rule that if East does not cover with the queen he does not have it. It seems strange to commit yourself so early, but I am sure this is best. Also East does not know you do not need two diamond tricks. On the actual hand East had the queen of diamonds and West the ace, so we will never know if I would have made it, and the one declarer I spoke to played as I did and guessed the diamonds in the ending and there was no trump promotion.