[MP7601]

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Ignoring the very unsophisticated auction, you have to plan the play in 6S at IMPs teams.

Trusting your auction, East leads the trump deuce, West follows.

If you duck a club, West will win the club King and return a trump.

[perko90]

Need 3 ruffs in dummy. Win in hand. Ruff a ♥. Exit a ♣. Win trump return in hand (assume 3-1 break). Ruff another ♥. Cash ♦K, ♦A, ruff a ♦ high. Ruff a ♣. Draw last trump. Claim.

[mycroft]

I was looking at this, and wondering where the hole is. Obviously, if trumps are 2=2, we have 12 tops (5 spades, 5 red suit cards and two club ruffs).

Perko's line is good: (note, north is declarer, so his "dummy" is hand and vice versa):

• win in dummy. Trumps: N: AJ87, S: Q95
  
• Ruff a heart. N: AJ8 S: Q95
  
• Exit a club. Win trump return in dummy. N: AJ S: Q5 (unless west led the T, then it's 95, and 9 is boss)
  
• Ruff a heart. N: A, S: Q5
  
• cash ♦K, A, ruff a diamond. N: S: Q5 Hope the diamonds are not 1=7 (reasonable hope, given East never showed them bid).
  
• Ruff a club. S: Q, and hope the clubs are 2=4 at best (less reasonable hope, but maybe best?).
  
• Pull trump and claim.

Alternatively, we can play it the other way up.

• win in hand. Note that that means we eat the ♠T trick 1. Trumps: N: AJ73 (or A873 if West plays the T), S: KQ9 (1-0)
  
• concede a club, win trump return. N: A73, S:KQ (2-1)
  
• ruff a club, ruff a heart, ruff a club. N: A7, S: (5-1)
  
• Heart ruff, pull the last trump (pitching the diamond loser). N: , S: (7-1)
  
• Diamond K, Diamond to the A, three hearts for contract. (8,9,10,11,12-1)

In this line, I just have to survive an 8=0 red suit break. All my ruffs are high or over the long trump.

The downside of this line is that if *East* wins the club trick and leads the second trump of three. Now, some danger, because of the blocking ♠9:

• win in hand. Trumps: N: AJ73 (or A873 if West plays the T), S: KQ9
  
• concede a club, win trump return. N: A73, S:KQ
  
• ruff a club, ruff a heart (low), ruff a club. N: A7, S:
  
• Now if we're more concerned about hearts 7=1 than diamonds 8=0, Diamond to the K, pull the last trump (pitching the diamond loser). N:7 , S:
  
• Diamond to the A, three hearts and a ruff.

I still just have to survive both red suits 8=0, or round suits 1=1 (which implies East is 3=1=8=1, so...), and guess which suit east is out of given the pitches on clubs (if any). Pretty good odds, I say, when neither hand bids or leads their 8-card suit.

What issues do we have, though? East gets in and instead of leading the second trump, leads a diamond. Does that break up transportation? Don't think so, can just "trump 9 to J" in place of "diamond to K" or "ruff a heart".

I'm sure I'm missing something.

[mikeh]

This is a good example of the need to take one’s time as declarer before playing to the first trick.

It seems natural to duck, because we’re missing the 10, but have all the other important spades.

If we do, then we’re in our hand, lacking ready communication for the dummy reversal. Of course, if spades are 4-0, we are down, on the dummy reversal line, since they tap dummy with a second club when we exit the club at trick 3. We have to revert to ruffing two clubs in dummy and hoping for clubs to split evenly or 3 rounds of hearts to survive (which would have been a lot more likely had we not ruffed one)

Thus the dummy reversal requires a non 4-0 trump break or an unlikely lie in one of the round suits.

Can we do better?

If trump are 4-0, the 9 will win the first trick. We now know not to try the dummy reversal, and instead need some luck, and card reading. We exit a club. West presumably wins and taps dummy. Cash the top hearts before East gets a chance to pitch if he is say 4=3=4=2. (Note that if west follows to the first spade low, we are in dummy and can use the double dummy approach safely)

Now diamond king, club ruff, diamond ace, and guess which red suit to ruff back to hand. We score 2 club ruffs, 3 top hearts, 2 top diamonds and 5 trump in hand.

But what if the spade 9 is covered by the 10? Now we know that the dummy reversal would have worked, but we can’t take that line, since we needed to be in dummy at trick 2.

Oh well, we’re still in very good shape.

We are cold if either black suit breaks and, if not, if we can score 3 hearts and 2 club ruffs. Note that we now have great spade spots, such that there is no risk of an overruff even if east has the 3 trump...his highest trump is the 6.

We exit a club. As it happens, west has a second trump. If he didn’t, his best play is a diamond.

Win the spade in hand, ruff a club with a high spade, cash the top hearts, and the diamond Ace, lead a red card, ruffing, ruff a club high, lead a red card, ruffing, and claim

If west returns a diamond, after our club exit, win in hand, ruff a club, cash the hearts and top diamond, ruff a diamond, ruff a club, ruff a heart, with the 8, pull trump and claim.

While if we had KQ10x in dummy, the dummy reversal line is best, assuming no 4-0 trump split, the low percentage of a 4-0 trump and the very high percentage chances that we can make if the 9 holds, makes me think that the 9 is the best play at trick 1. If west follows low, do the dummy reversal. Otherwise, play as above.

Would I do this analysis at the table?

Definitely, if I’m ‘on’. Does it take a long time to do? For me, yes. I know a couple of players whose bridge analysis is so fast that they’d figure this out in a minute or less. Me, I’d probabl6 take 5 minutes or more, but that’s one reason I prefer teams to mps. I can take as long as I want on important, tough hands, and catch up on the others.

[AL78]

perko90, on 2020-October-27, 13:01, said:

Need 3 ruffs in dummy. Win in hand. Ruff a ♥. Exit a ♣. Win trump return in hand (assume 3-1 break). Ruff another ♥. Cash ♦K, ♦A, ruff a ♦ high. Ruff a ♣. Draw last trump. Claim.

There are 10 tricks off the top. Why do you need three ruffs?

I would aim to ruff two hearts and a diamond in hand, then draw trumps ending in the South hand, that's 12 tricks. Win opening lead in South, ruff a heart, ♦KA, ruff a diamond, spade to South, ruff a heart (with the ace if necessary to avoid blockage), spade to South, if trumps are 2-2 or 3-1 they are drawn, cash ♥AKQ, give up a club. If the trumps are 4-0 I'll need to rethink.

[AL78]

AL78, on 2020-October-27, 15:34, said:

There are 10 tricks off the top. Why do you need three ruffs?

I would aim to ruff two hearts and a diamond in hand, then draw trumps ending in the South hand, that's 12 tricks. Win opening lead in South, ruff a heart, ♦KA, ruff a diamond, spade to South, ruff a heart (with the ace if necessary to avoid blockage), spade to South, if trumps are 2-2 or 3-1 they are drawn, cash ♥AKQ, give up a club. If the trumps are 4-0 I'll need to rethink.

That's not quite right, I thought the lead was coming from the other direction, I still win the opening lead in the South hand, but will have to duck a club before or after ruffing the two hearts and diamond, that should give access to the South hand via a club ruff to draw the last trump before cashing the top hearts.

[nige1]

MP760 'Ignoring the very unsophisticated auction, you have to plan the play in 6S at IMPs teams. Trusting your auction, East leads the trump deuce, West follows. If you duck a club, West will win the club King and return a trump.
++++++++++++++++++++
Win West's trump return with ♠J. Claim: Ruff a ♣ high. (Over) Ruff a ♥. Ruff a ♣ high. (Over) Ruff a ♥. Draw trumps. No need to risk an 8-0 ♦ break (You make 4 ruffs, 3 more ♠s, 3 ♥s, 2 ♦s).

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[perko90]

AL78, on 2020-October-27, 15:34, said:

Why do you need three ruffs?

I would aim to ruff two hearts and a diamond [three ruffs] ...

A bit amusing.
Anyway, the answer to your Q is that I was going for the dummy reversal.

But as mycroft pointed out, and apparently you as well at first, I didn't look at the auction carefully and assumed the traditional South as declarer.

[perko90]

Yes, if I had a do-over after realizing N is declarer, I agree with mikeh that playing the 9 from dummy (S) at trick 1 is the best play (to guard against a 4-0 break).
But we know that both defenders follow to the 1st trump trick; so, I won't say more on that line. Whether the 9 gets covered or holds doesn't matter much if we go for the ♣ ruff plan.
Exit a ♣ at trick 2. Win the trump return high in hand (N). Ruff a ♣. ♦K. Ruff a ♣. Ruff a ♥. Draw last trump. Claim w/ a ♦ entry to the board.
[Pretty much like nige1]