[CamHenry]

Matchpoints, last board. You're definitely in contention (around 70% coming into this round), so a solid result should see you safe. Opponents are a strong pair, playing Precision. What line do you take on this board?

(Also, comments on the bidding are welcome: I was South, and felt that neither of my calls was clear-cut but both were OK).

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The 2♠ opening is described on the card as "weak, 5+ cards".

Trick 1 is ♠10, 2, K, A. What next?

[ahydra]

Bidding looks fine. Initial thoughts are - we must dodge 5-0 trumps and two diamond losers.

Draw trumps and if 3-2 play on clubs looks the obvious line but of course the defence can put us to a diamond guess early. I would play the Q and see what happens, looking possibly to squeeze East (e.g. if he is 6-4 or 5-4 and West throws a spade) or to make use of the 9 and/or 7. If trumps split 4-1 I'll play clubs after the second round of trumps reveals the bad split.

ahydra

[nige1]

CamHenry, on 2014-August-27, 08:20, said:

Matchpoints, last board. You're definitely in contention (around 70% coming into this round), so a solid result should see you safe. Opponents are a strong pair, playing Precision. What line do you take on this board?
(Also, comments on the bidding are welcome: I was South, and felt that neither of my calls was clear-cut but both were OK).
The 2♠ opening is described on the card as "weak, 5+ cards".
Trick 1 is ♠10, 2, K, A. What next?

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My guess is like Ahydras line:. After ♠A, cash ♥9J.
If ♥ are 4-1, then lead a ♣, win the return, finesse ♦Q, ruff a ♠, lead another ♣, and hope for the best.
If ♥ are 3-2, then draw a 3rd round before proceeding as above but some defences, when LHO switches to a ♦, may afford you the luxury of cashing ♦A before the second round of ♣, to cater for a singleton ♦K with RHO..

[mikeh]

We can infer that the club honours are split: LHO would surely lead a top club on this auction if he held AK, and RHO would open at the one level with KJ♠ and club AK, especially playing precision.

That somewhat increases the likelihood of the diamond hook winning, but we need that anyway. We aren't going to be playing for -1 in the circumstances.

We can cater to 5-0 trumps if we can score a club, 2 diamonds and 2 spades, provided that we get to ruff something in one of our hands.

I'd win the spade and play the heart 5 to dummy's 10.

If RHO shows out, switch to clubs now. Should LHO be able to ruff the 3rd round of clubs, then down we go, but we weren't making anyway.

Assume RHO wins the first club and plays a spade: win, hook the diamond, play a club. LHO would win this and there is nothing he can do. Say he plays a trump: win in hand, play a diamond over, cash the club, throwing a diamond, cross in trump and ruff the spade. We still have AQ of trump in hand and have taken 2 spades, 2 diamonds, a club, a spade ruff and two rounds of trump. 10 tricks. LHO would likely be 2=5=3=3 for this to work. I leave other variations, after the club play at trick 3, to the reader, but all roads lead to the same 10 tricks.

If both follow to the first trump, play a second round and then basically adopt hydra's line. There should be enough time to allow for the safety play in diamonds.

[CamHenry]

OK, everyone else is also down 1. You take two rounds of trumps (RHO showing out on the second); RHO wins the first club with the A and gives her partner a spade ruff (having opened 2♠ with KJxxxxx/x/JT/Axx).

You can make double-dummy by playing for diamonds 3-2 with the K onside, scoring 4 trumps, 2 spades, 3 diamonds and a club. However, I decided that playing for spades 6-2 was better odds.

[mrt2000]

Did you consider 3NT rather than 4♥?
9 tricks often easier than 10 and on this hand with ♦ favourable it's an ewasy make.

[Cyberyeti]

mrt2000, on 2014-August-29, 04:23, said:

Did you consider 3NT rather than 4♥?
9 tricks often easier than 10 and on this hand with ♦ favourable it's an ewasy make.

I suggest you count your tricks, it makes because everything is favourable, note the 5+ card weak 2, if spades are 5-3 and the club honours split and not stiff 3N goes down on a spade lead, if the K♦ is offside you go down and maybe more than 1, 4♥ is a much better contract.