Posted 2023-March-23, 19:20
I’d be grilling E-W on their leading and carding because I’m a bit confused by the post and the description of the play. Subject to knowing what they’d say….do they lead original 5th best back? Over here we’d lead original 4th best most of the time but I’m inferring (tentatively) that east has AQxxx in spades and west Jxx…with Qxx he should unblock.
So I’d play heart king, heart to the ace. If west shows out on the first round, then east is likely 5=5. If on the second round, 5=4.
In either case I exit a spade. If west wins, east is isolated (for now) while if east wins, and runs his spades, west is hopefully squeezed (I’ll stiff the diamond ace when he cashes spades, then win the shift in hand and cash the hearts, reducing to Qx Ax in the minors in dummy and A Kxx in hand. LHO can’t guard both minors)
Until and unless my tentative picture is obviously false, I’m playing west for 5 clubs and the diamond king or four clubs headed by QJ and the diamond king.
If east does have 5 spades and elects not to squeeze his partner, I’ll eventually play diamond Ace and low towards the queen, having stripped west of his third spade.
If their explanation of their carding suggests I’m mistaken, I’ll reconsider but suspect I don’t have a lot of choice…only if west could have QJ9xxx in spades(!) can I consider playing east for the minors and stepping him before sticking him in with clubs to lead away from Kx in diamonds.
'one of the great markers of the advance of human kindness is the howls you will hear from the Men of God' Johann Hari