[AL78]

MPs:

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I had yet another situation where I have two choices. Playing a heart might work but do I need to cash the spade winner first? I decided to cash my spade winner then switched to a heart and that was -400 and a joint bottom. I was thinking that since declarer held two hearts and five diamonds, he must be 5332 so can only get one of two possible heart losers away the spade jack. There is likely a way I could have worked this out properly at the table but it didn't come to me. I was worried about declarer holding ♣AKQ and getting dummy's spade losers away but now realise he would have done that at trick two with that holding.

This is makeable double dummy but declarer didn't get off to the correct start so we should have got it down.

[LBengtsson]

Yes, AL78, I agree very frustrating. The only very small conclusion is if declarer had ♣AKQ in 5332 shape - I assume you are playing Acol in England with weak no-trump, is that would leave ♠106 ♥xxx in declarer's hand, so with two suits unguarded maybe declarer might prefer a 1♦ opening with this hand - and I am only really guessing here. And obviously, with ♣AKQ they could have made the contract, so why did they misplay at trick 2? Suggests to me they do not have ♣AKQ QED (quod erat demonstrandum.)

I expect most players would still open a weak NT with ♠10x ♥xxx ♦AJxxx ♣AKQ for its pre-emptive value, and there is not, imo, a great rebid after 1♦ - 1♠ - (2♣ or 2♦?) sequence. I do not think a 1NT rebid (15-16) is in picture, upgrading this hand - it does not look like any sort of upgrade

On probability, declarer is more likely to have ♣AQJ, AQ10, AQx, AJ10, AJx, Axx than ♣AKQ so there are many more combinations where a ♥ switch will win before playing the second ♠.

[AL78]

LBengtsson, on 2022-October-28, 19:09, said:

Yes, AL78, I agree very frustrating. The only very small conclusion is if declarer had ♣AKQ in 5332 shape - I assume you are playing Acol in England with weak no-trump, is that would leave ♠106 ♥xxx in declarer's hand, so with two suits unguarded maybe declarer might prefer a 1♦ opening with this hand - and I am only really guessing here. And obviously, with ♣AKQ they could have made the contract, so why did they misplay at trick 2? Suggests to me they do not have ♣AKQ QED (quod erat demonstrandum.)

I expect most players would still open a weak NT with ♠10x ♥xxx ♦AJxxx ♣AKQ for its pre-emptive value, and there is not, imo, a great rebid after 1♦ - 1♠ - (2♣ or 2♦?) sequence. I do not think a 1NT rebid (15-16) is in picture, upgrading this hand - it does not look like any sort of upgrade

On probability, declarer is more likely to have ♣AQJ, AQ10, AQx, AJ10, AJx, Axx than ♣AKQ so there are many more combinations where a ♥ switch will win before playing the second ♠.

I think they misplayed at trick one. If they duck my opening lead they can win a heart switch, cross to hand with a trump, take the marked spade finesse and discard the losing heart on the ace. It makes no difference if partner can ruff with the master trump. It is bad enough when opposition make wild bids but worse when I reward them for it, which just encourages them to keep bidding wildly.

[Cyberyeti]

AL78, on 2022-October-29, 02:00, said:

I think they misplayed at trick one. If they duck my opening lead they can win a heart switch, cross to hand with a trump, take the marked spade finesse and discard the losing heart on the ace. It makes no difference if partner can ruff with the master trump. It is bad enough when opposition make wild bids but worse when I reward them for it, which just encourages them to keep bidding wildly.

Win the spade, diamond to the ace, play another spade, would be embarrassing if W had a spade less and a heart or a club more. Declarer decided a diamond void needed defending against, and if that happened, the heart finesse is very likely to work

[AL78]

Cyberyeti, on 2022-October-29, 02:06, said:

Win the spade, diamond to the ace, play another spade, would be embarrassing if W had a spade less and a heart or a club more. Declarer decided a diamond void needed defending against, and if that happened, the heart finesse is very likely to work

If West had a spade less I might have bid 3♠ with seven to the KQ rather than 2♠.

[Cyberyeti]

AL78, on 2022-October-29, 06:02, said:

If West had a spade less I might have bid 3♠ with seven to the KQ rather than 2♠.

Depends what you play that as, KQ 7th and both curly Ks might be too much, hence what I said about the heart finesse likely being right