[ajm218]

Scoring: IMP

1♦ P 2♦ 3♥
P 4♥ AP

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6♥ lead - opps are playing a strong club system so 1♦ is catch-all, 2♦ is inv+ without a 4CM

[billw55]

hmmm .. presumably ops will lead another trump when I duck a diamond. That leaves me with 6 trumps in hand, one ruff in dummy, and the A♣. I guess the club finesse is needed, that's 9 tricks. But where is the 10th?

[WellSpyder]

If trumps are 2-2, spades 4-3 and CK onside you have the entries to establish a spade trick if you play one immediately at T2.

[ONEferBRID]

2-2 trump split and 4-3 Sp split:

1: win trump in hand ( East covering your 10 w/Jack )
2: lead Sp
3: win 2nd trump lead on board
4. ruff 2nd Sp lead
5. lead 1st Diam
6. win Cl return ( finessing Q which you need to win )
7. ruff 3rd Sp
8. ruff Diam w/last trump on board
9. ruff 4th Sp
10. Cl to Ace
11. Sp J is good ( if 4-3 Sp split ) for 10th trick

6h, 2c, 1s, 1 diam-ruff

[ONEferBRID]

I believe I am short an entry if the ♥Jack does not fall on the 1st trick.

[mikeh]

This is a hand about defence by East.

We need 6 hearts, a diamond ruff, two clubs and a tenth trick that can come only from spades (there appears, to me, to be no squeeze).

We cannot afford 3-1 hearts, even with the stiff Jack, since we need to ruff a diamond and thus cannot give up the lead in both spades and diamonds and still pull this off... LHO will be able to win the first round of both suits and pound trumps at us.

So we need hearts 2-2, and we need lots of entries to dummy. In fact, we need to have a second round trump entry in the form of the 9 or the 10, so in turn this means that East needs to cover the card we call from dummy at trick one.

Most defenders play reflexively here....without thinking. The Jack can never gain...if declarer needs to be in dummy to take a hook, he will cross there at trick 2 if need be. We know that partner doesn't have the Qxx, so the J is a zero play...it can never be right, and it may be wrong, as here.

3rd hand high and cover an honour with an honour are both useful adages but neither should substitute for thinking.

Having said that, I'd make the reflexive play myself unless I was 'on' at the time.

[ajm218]

Scoring: IMP

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On the ♥ lead p won in hand with the 8 and played a ♠. West couldn't put the Q♠ up or the hand would be trivial so East had to win the trick and find a ♣ switch to remove one of declarer's entries early - when he didn't the hand was again over as partner had just enough entires and temp to ruff a ♦ and set the ♠s up.

[hanp]

Agree with mikeh, east should get it right but it's easy to fall asleep here.

[kgr]

ajm218, on Jun 16 2010, 10:18 AM, said:

... when he didn't the hand was again over as partner had just enough entries and temp to ruff a ♦ and set the ♠s up.

I only see 4 entries in dummy: ♣AQ, ♠, ♦ruff (If West plays ♥J after ♦ switch by East)?

[mikeh]

[A2003]

Converted in hand editor, Click to see the hand.

Click on GIB, Says Down 1.

[kgr]

It seems that a club return is not needed to remove an entry for the development of a ♠ (there is an entry short anyway), but rather to remove an entry for a double squeeze (♠-♣ and ♦-♣).

[mikeh]

kgr, on Jun 17 2010, 06:26 AM, said:

It seems that a club return is not needed to remove an entry for the development of a ♠ (there is an entry short anyway), but rather to remove an entry for a double squeeze (♠-♣ and ♦-♣).

I don't think so:

what do you think the 4 card end position will be after they lead a diamond back and LHO exits the heart J?

Even if dummy has the AQ9x of clubs, there is no squeeze that I see...altho the double hook in clubs would then have worked.

[gnasher]

I agree with kgr: trump, spade, diamond, ♥J to ace, diamond ruff, spade ruff, trump, diamond discarding a club. LHO plays back a club honour, but we ruff another spade and cash the last trump.

[kgr]

mikeh, on Jun 17 2010, 08:33 PM, said:

kgr, on Jun 17 2010, 06:26 AM, said:

It seems that a club return is not needed to remove an entry for the development of a ♠ (there is an entry short anyway), but rather to remove an entry for a double squeeze (♠-♣ and ♦-♣).

I don't think so:

what do you think the 4 card end position will be after they lead a diamond back and LHO exits the heart J?

Even if dummy has the AQ9x of clubs, there is no squeeze that I see...altho the double hook in clubs would then have worked.

...♦ ruff, ♠ ruff, 2x ♥:

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On this ♥ West cannot discard a ♠.
If he discards a ♦ then you can give him a ♣ trick and ruff his ♠ return; to make an extra ♣ in dummy.
If he discards a ♣ then you can play a ♦ and East will be squeezed in ♦/♣ when you ruff a ♠.

[mikeh]

you are right....well done...good thing that S has the diamond 9 while the curse of scotland earns its bad reputation once more. Otherwise west could unblock the Q, keeping a low diamond and you couldn't exit the diamond when he pitches a club.

[gnasher]

mikeh, on Jun 18 2010, 01:47 AM, said:

good thing that S has the diamond 9 while the curse of scotland earns its bad reputation once more. Otherwise west could unblock the Q, keeping a low diamond and you couldn't exit the diamond when he pitches a club.

With the variation that I suggested, South doesn't need ♦9, as long as West's diamonds are HH10. My West is never given a chance to discard a diamond.

[kgr]

mikeh, on Jun 18 2010, 02:47 AM, said:

you are right....well done...good thing that S has the diamond 9 while the curse of scotland earns its bad reputation once more. Otherwise west could unblock the Q, keeping a low diamond and you couldn't exit the diamond when he pitches a club.

As long as West has HHT then he cannot unblock. In the end figure from previous post you play a small ♦. West has ♦T left, but East cannot takeover because then S's ♦J will be the 10th trick.
PS: when OP said ...Interesting hand... in the subject, then I think he was right. It is the deal of the week for me: not very special at first sight, but of lot of interesting points in it.

[ajm218]

Well done posters - not an easy hand to analyse without a double dummy solver! I thought it was quite pretty though...