[AL78]

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Partner leads the ♥6 which is run to declarer's queen. Declarer plays the spade ace, cashes a top heart discarding a low club then plays a spade to your king, partner playing the five and the seven. What do you play?

[P_Marlowe]

I guess I go with a club, I guess the Jack, but more likely it will be the 3.

[helene_t]

club, yes. I first said a spade but unfortunately I don't have any more of those

[LBengtsson]

A small ♣ looks obvious here that you have got me thinking, AL78 (Maybe I am going to botch it also )

[AL78]

At the time I thought there was a real possibility I have been endplayed. Leading a red suit looks like giving declarer a free finesse and a trick and the clubs that I can see look suspiciously like a frozen suit. I decided that a club is the least worst option so led my lowest. This was the full layout:

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The clubs were technically frozen and when partner took her ace, that set up four clubs and a hand entry to go with the spades and 3NT+2 for a top to princess giggles. I didn't expect the South hand to be that distributional and hold a ton of winning spades. If there is a way of working out I need to lead a diamond I'd like to understand how.

The other scores were 4♠-1, 3♠-1, 3NT-1 and 3♠+1 so our failure to take all our tricks didn't ultimately make any difference, but I am always disappointed when I don't find the best defence regardless of the consequence.

[LBengtsson]

 AL78, on 2023-February-01, 11:57, said:

...I didn't expect the South hand to be that distributional and hold a ton of winning spades.

What did you expect from "Princess Giggles" That made me laugh, AL78. I can just guess the type of bridge player she is

[Cyberyeti]

 LBengtsson, on 2023-February-01, 11:33, said:

A small ♣ looks obvious here that you have got me thinking, AL78 (Maybe I am going to botch it also )

You've been Grosvenored too, declarer should have played a club at trick 2.

But seriously what to you think declarer has that is dangerous, if it's not this and particularly if ♦A is involved, isn't this likely to be a 2♠ or 1♠ opener ? South doesn't appear to have too many red cards given the auction and lead, so has a stack of black ones.

[AL78]

 LBengtsson, on 2023-February-01, 13:46, said:

What did you expect from "Princess Giggles" That made me laugh, AL78. I can just guess the type of bridge player she is

The type that regularly gets bad results and has expressed some frustration at getting bad results, the type that has admitted to me they play erratically, and the type that manages to stuff me up on at least one board on almost every round I play against her. One of my other partners has said she is difficult to play against because half the time you don't know what she's got. One day she will be bidding on air which will disrupt your auction and you don't find the opportunity to extract a juicy penalty, another day you go for a juicy penalty and she has her bid and then some or her partner comes down with the perfect hand.

She also has the habit of giggling at me, firstly when I complement her on her appearance and secondly after she has duffed me up.

[akwoo]

If you think about it, declarer must have nothing but 3 queens, and maybe the spade jack, on the bidding.

Actually, unless declarer is rather inspired, the only thing that matters is that your partner holds up the club ace. It's true - on the actual layout, ducking the club ace won't help if declarer then ducks clubs to partner, but declarer has to figure that out!

So, if you lead a club and partner plays the ten, you're probably still okay!

But you can make it easier for partner. Partner also knows that declarer has only a queen left, but partner doesn't know which queen. Leading a low diamond tells partner declarer has the club queen. Leading the jack of clubs would also say that, but that can give up a trick (or at least save declarer a guess on how to play clubs) if partner doesn't have the ten (or has AT doubleton as here).

The low diamond lead is perfectly safe since partner must have the ace.

[LBengtsson]

 Cyberyeti, on 2023-February-01, 14:33, said:

You've been Grosvenored too, declarer should have played a club at trick 2.

But seriously what to you think declarer has that is dangerous, if it's not this and particularly if ♦A is involved, isn't this likely to be a 2♠ or 1♠ opener ? South doesn't appear to have too many red cards given the auction and lead, so has a stack of black ones.

And akwoo adds: If you think about it, declarer must have nothing but 3 queens, and maybe the spade jack, on the bidding.

Had to look that bridge expression online: Grosvenored. I like it! The bidding (and play) threw me because there is no way I would think South was 6/5 here, and I do not agree with akwoo (just my opinion) that South can have only three queens because of one reason: North's reverse promises another bid on this sequence imo so 2NT is not a sign-off. I assumed South - trying to work this out logically - was something like 5♠1♥3♦4♣ shape. Yes, definitely Grosvenored!

[Cyberyeti]

 LBengtsson, on 2023-February-02, 01:10, said:

Had to look that bridge expression online: Grosvenored. I like it! The bidding (and play) threw me because there is no way I would think South was 6/5 here, and I do not agree with akwoo (just my opinion) that South can have only three queens because of one reason: North's reverse promises another bid on this sequence imo so 2NT is not a sign-off. I assumed South - trying to work this out logically - was something like 5♠1♥3♦4♣ shape. Yes, definitely Grosvenored!

Partner played 57 on the spades, he doesn't have 4, declarer has 6

[AL78]

 Cyberyeti, on 2023-February-02, 03:21, said:

Partner played 57 on the spades, he doesn't have 4, declarer has 6

Couldn't declarer be 4135 shape so partner played low high from five?

[Cyberyeti]

 AL78, on 2023-February-02, 08:07, said:

Couldn't declarer be 4135 shape so partner played low high from five?

Just about with partner having a stiff diamond A, but declarer has 5 clubs so a club switch is wrong. Do you have a bid for 5-5 majors and a 9 count ? Does declarer play on spades before clubs with 4-5.

[akwoo]

 LBengtsson, on 2023-February-02, 01:10, said:

I do not agree with akwoo (just my opinion) that South can have only three queens because of one reason: North's reverse promises another bid on this sequence imo so 2NT is not a sign-off.

It's worth asking opponents here, because people differ, but, if not playing Lebensohl/Ingberman (they're the same here), I usually play 2N is the only non-game bid that can be passed. I also suspect I reverse slightly lighter than you do.