[mikl_plkcc]

The declarer held KJT43 and the dummy held A9752 in the trumps. The lead was in the dummy. I needed to play it with 0 losers.

I remembered that, when the Q was missing, I should start playing a high first in case it drops, rather than starting a finesse immediately. And now as I had 10 trumps, playing for a drop would clearly be a better idea. However, in this case, I played the A from the dummy, and RHO failed to followed suit. The contract was doomed.

Two other tables played the 2 from the dummy to the K, RHO failed to follow suit so the drop would fail, but now the finesse is marked.

What is the reason that I needed to play a small with 10 trumps and a missing Q?

[hrothgar]

mikl_plkcc, on 2025-June-13, 07:10, said:

What is the reason that I needed to play a small with 10 trumps and a missing Q?

1. Ceteris paribus, it doesn't matter

2. Its entirely possible that folks chose a different line of play based on secondary considerations like which hand they wanted to be in when they were dine pulling trump

3. Its also possible that the bidding (or lack there of) influenced their line of play

[Stephen Tu]

When you are missing *only* the Q, it is generally right to play a high honor (A or K), if this allows you to pick up singleton Q offside "for free", while you can still pick up Qxxx onside with the 4-1 break.

So something like AKJTx opposite xxx, assuming enough entries, you cash high to protect against singleton Q, then you hook twice and also pick up Qxxx onside if the Q didn't fall.

But something like AKJTxx opposite xx, you normally hook immediately, because this allows you to pick up Qxxx onside, which is 4x more likely than Q stiff offside. Here cashing ace, you can no longer hook twice against the Qxxx onside.

In your actual combination, where you have 10 cd fit, often it's just a blind guess which honor to cash first, and in this case you might have just guessed wrong. But sometimes there are clues from the bidding which side to cash (e.g. if an opponent preempted, you would want to protect against them holding the void, not their partner, long in another suit means more likely short in yours). Also sometimes you cater which one you cash so that if you are wrong, some other suit you need to work is more likely to be right. (e.g. say you have another chance in another suit if RHO holds the Q there onside. Then you cash so that you are only wrong if RHO holds the void in your trump suit, then at least he is 13:10 favorite to hold the Q in the other suit)

[smerriman]

 mikl_plkcc, on 2025-June-13, 07:10, said:

What is the reason that I needed to play a small with 10 trumps and a missing Q?

You are phrasing the question in the wrong way. If trumps are 2-1, it doesn't matter what you do. If trumps are 0-3, you have to win the Ace first. If trumps are 3-0 you have to win the King first.

In both cases it makes no difference which hand you are leading from, so it's not "ace vs small", it's "ace vs king", which are obviously entirely identical in the suit itself, with the decision based on other factors as explained above.

[Huibertus]

There is no difference, starting with the A or with the K both pick up Queen third sitting over the honor you started with, the odds are equal.

Three things you need to do before playing the suit;
- Ask yourself what you know.
i.e. somebody preempted, assume the other has Q-3rd. Someone opened 1NT? That's the one you assume has the 3 card.
- If you have no indications, work out if you can delay the decision (I.e. you're playing 7NT, and can cash all tricks in side suits first? Do it, maybe you'll find out one of the opps has 553 in the other suits).
- And whenever you plan to start with playing the Ace, play the J from dummy first. It wouldn't be the first time someone with Q 3rd just covers lazily.

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,


#1 you try to play the honor on the side first, that does not give you a tenance first, this would be the case, if you did not have the T and 9 as well,
you would start with the Ace.

#2 If you know, length in another suit / the length distribution, due to bidding or lead information, the side with more cards in a side suit is less
likely to hold a specific key card.

#3 If you can afford it, play a honor to induce a cover, if they dont cover ... assume they dont have it.

#4 Pray at the altar of Lady Luck, sometimes she likes to help.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[AL78]

If you have no clues in the bidding it is just luck. Sometimes a guess or the best line of play fails and you do badly, welcome to the game of bridge. The skill element of the game means good or bad results in the long term are far more influenced by you and your partner than by luck assuming the field is around your standard on average, unless there are only three or four tables in which case luck plays a bigger part.

[mikeh]

mikl_plkcc, on 2025-June-13, 07:10, said:

The declarer held KJT43 and the dummy held A9752 in the trumps. The lead was in the dummy. I needed to play it with 0 losers.

I remembered that, when the Q was missing, I should start playing a high first in case it drops, rather than starting a finesse immediately. And now as I had 10 trumps, playing for a drop would clearly be a better idea. However, in this case, I played the A from the dummy, and RHO failed to followed suit. The contract was doomed.

Two other tables played the 2 from the dummy to the K, RHO failed to follow suit so the drop would fail, but now the finesse is marked.

What is the reason that I needed to play a small with 10 trumps and a missing Q?

Why do you think that there has to be a reason?

[mike777]

 mikl_plkcc, on 2025-June-13, 07:10, said:

The declarer held KJT43 and the dummy held A9752 in the trumps. The lead was in the dummy. I needed to play it with 0 losers.

I remembered that, when the Q was missing, I should start playing a high first in case it drops, rather than starting a finesse immediately. And now as I had 10 trumps, playing for a drop would clearly be a better idea. However, in this case, I played the A from the dummy, and RHO failed to followed suit. The contract was doomed.

Two other tables played the 2 from the dummy to the K, RHO failed to follow suit so the drop would fail, but now the finesse is marked.

What is the reason that I needed to play a small with 10 trumps and a missing Q?

Good practice to look at your full hand.
Look at full dummy hand
Listen to the bids made and not made.
What does the open lead suggest?
Can you get a count of the side suits safely?
What is your best guess as far as where the missing distribution and Hcp are located.

After all of that what is your best guess which
Defender may hold 3 trumps?

Good practice..