[rogerclee]

This was a textbook hand from the US team trials, see if you play this one carefully.

---

Trick 1 goes ♠4 - 2 - 9 - Q

♠4 = attitude lead

[Antrax]

Is there a 100% line? Right now it seems I want to cash clubs and diamonds. If either suit breaks 3-3 I'm home. When they don't, if W has the fourth round in either I can throw him in and get an extra spade trick or a heart trick. If both minors are 4-2 E or worse, I'll need W to have the ♥A and be able to duck a heart to him (as it seems too risky to just finesse the ♥K)
I wonder if I can do better.

[nigel_k]

I believe there is a line that will always succeed if neither minor suit is worse than 4-2.

[Antrax]

Ah, right. After cashing three rounds of the minors ending up in dummy, play a heart and cover whatever E plays. Even if they cash ♥AQ and two minor-suit tricks, you will still get the third round of hearts. Missed how good the spots were.

[dkham]

Aha!

[gszes]

rogerclee, on 2012-May-02, 23:26, said:

This was a textbook hand from the US team trials, see if you play this one carefully.

---

Trick 1 goes ♠4 - 2 - 9 - Q

♠4 = attitude lead

interesting hand I would try the following

spade Q
club A
club Q if clubs break no worse than 42*
dia K
dia A if dia break no worse than 42** we
are cold by cashing out dia (if they are 33)
then clubs (if they are 33) then leading a low
heart toward hand covering rho play.

*If clubs are 51 and rho has the clubs
cash 2 rounds of dia ending in dummy
and lead a low heart toward hand covering
rho card. If lho returns a heart or spade
we have 9 so they must continue dia--we win
and if suit breaks 33 we have 9 if not we
throw in lho and endplay them.


*if LHO has the 5 clubs cash 2 rounds of dia ending
in dummy and lead low heart covering rho card.
if lho continues dia (they split 33) or hearts or
spades u make so they return a club. win and return
another heart from dummy covering rho card. Lho must win
this else u have 9 tricks but they are then exhausted
of hearts and dia and must give u trick 9 with a spade
after cashing their 2 clubs.

** if dia are 51 and rho has the dia.
cash the club K (if suit breaks 33 we have 9)
if lho has length lead the 4th club and endplay lho
if rho has the club length lead a low heart
covering rho card immediately endplaying lho.

** if dia are 51 and lho has the dia play the
club K (if suit breaks 33 we have 9) then a dia
to hand and another dia. lho wins and can cash
their dia (we pitch a heart) but they must then
lead a spade or heart and we have 9.

The above depends on the opening lead from 4+ spades
if that assumption is wrong all bets are off:)

[han]

Antrax, on 2012-May-03, 00:39, said:

Ah, right. After cashing three rounds of the minors ending up in dummy, play a heart and cover whatever E plays. Even if they cash ♥AQ and two minor-suit tricks, you will still get the third round of hearts. Missed how good the spots were.

It seems that you haven't thought about what would happen if west has 4 cards in both minors and cashes those. What do you pitch from hand?

If west has 4 clubs or diamonds you shouldn't play hearts but throw him in with the minor. For example:

Cash 3 diamonds. If west has 4, cash the AQ of clubs and exit with a diamond. If west returns a club he either has 3 clubs, in which case they split, or 4 clubs, in which case you can throw him back in.

If east has 4 diamonds, cash the clubs, throw west in if he has 4 or 5, else play a heart.

Should east have 5 diamonds then obviously you don't cash the third round. So you also make it in many cases when the minors don't split 4-2.

[Antrax]

I wrote about that option in my first post. I just missed how to handle the heart suit.

[gszes]

han, on 2012-May-04, 07:51, said:

It seems that you haven't thought about what would happen if west has 4 cards in both minors and cashes those. What do you pitch from hand?

If west has 4 clubs or diamonds you shouldn't play hearts but throw him in with the minor. For example:

Cash 3 diamonds. If west has 4, cash the AQ of clubs and exit with a diamond. If west returns a club he either has 3 clubs, in which case they split, or 4 clubs, in which case you can throw him back in.

If east has 4 diamonds, cash the clubs, throw west in if he has 4 or 5, else play a heart.

Should east have 5 diamonds then obviously you don't cash the third round. So you also make it in many cases when the minors don't split 4-2.

based on the assumption of w having spade length if w has 44 in the minors they can have at most 1 heart. At trick 8 (we would already know w
was 44 in the minors) leading a heart toward the K at that point will net us not only a heart trick but an overtrick when we then throw lho in
with the 4th dia. We are held to 9 tricks only if lho started with the stiff heart A. If we throw in lho with say the 4th club we can safely pitch
a heart and assure ourselves of making 3 but we give up the free shot at the overtrick.

[han]

I agree with you that west likely has spade length. But if you can make it without the assumption that west has spade length then you should do so. That way it isn't possible for you to be unpleasantly surprised.

[gszes]

han, on 2012-May-05, 00:43, said:

I agree with you that west likely has spade length. But if you can make it without the assumption that west has spade length then you should do so. That way it isn't possible for you to be unpleasantly surprised.

I swear I would probably do just what you said and not play a heart to my hand
like I should and then for the billionth time I would have to say
:SORRY P I AM A BIGGGGGG CHICKEN: for not making overtricks. Because if
LHO started with 2 4 card minors yet chose spades---------------------------