[Tramticket]

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After a macho 7♥ raise from partner, I am declaring the grand slam.

It might succeed with a spade finesse, or an even break in clubs, or through a squeeze ...

I failed at the table, but my line lying in bed at 2am would have been better. What is the best line to maximise chances?

[eagles123]

what lead

[nige1]

Tramticket, on 2017-May-09, 05:19, said:

After a macho 7♥ raise from partner, I am declaring the grand slam.

It might succeed with a spade finesse, or an even break in clubs, or through a squeeze ...
I failed at the table, but my line lying in bed at 2am would have been better. What is the best line to maximise chances?

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Win trump lead with ♥A. Cash ♣A discarding ♠Q. Ruff a ♣. Cash ♥KQJ discarding a ♦ and ♠s. Cross to ♦A. Ruff a ♣. Cross to ♦K. Ruff a ♣. Cash trump.
If ♣9 or ♦T is good, then claim.
If LHO has long ♣s, then you have a show-up (double) squeeze.
Otherwise guess (probably take ♠ finesse),

[Tramticket]

eagles123, on 2017-May-09, 05:46, said:

what lead

Club lead

[nige1]

Tramticket, on 2017-May-09, 07:05, said:

Club lead

OK similar line.

[Tramticket]

nige1, on 2017-May-09, 12:57, said:

OK similar line.

Yes, well done Nigel. This is more or less the line that I came up with (I ruffed clubs initially and cashed the ace of clubs later in the play). Unfortunately I got it wrong at the table and discarded a diamond on the ace of clubs.

I seem to have a blind spot. It is easy to see that the spade honours constitute a two-card menace. It is also easy to see that the long club will be a menace against the opponent with the long clubs. But I struggled to see the possibilities in the short diamond suit. I have noticed this blind-spot before.

The full hand was:

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[Caitlynne]

You did not mention what the opening lead was/is. Clearly that matters!

[Tramticket]

Caitlynne, on 2017-May-10, 15:04, said:

You did not mention what the opening lead was/is. Clearly that matters!

Small club.

Yes, sorry, more missed in opening post. But clarified further down.

[bid_em_up]

on a club lead, ruff in hand. Trump to ace, ruff club. Draw 2 rounds of trumps, play spade to A, cash club ace pitching diamond from hand and run trumps.

3 card ending will be:

AKx diamonds in dummy, q spaded & 109 diamond in hand.

East cannot hold the spade king & qjx diamonds in the three card ending. He must give one of them up.

There is a slight indication that this is better than straight spade finesse. East only had 2 clubs and one heart, so has 10 cards in spades & diamonds.

Jmoo