[dodzi]

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Scoring: IMP

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6NT by North. Bidding was 2N (20-22) - 6N, partner leads the ♠J. Declarer wins the Ace and leads the ♣4. How do you defend?

[flytoox]

Dont know, but will duck Ck first and see the development.

[Trumpace]

Looks like Club 2 might be an important card to hold on to.


On second thoughts, if declarer has 4-3-3-3 distribution with the ♥Q, partner can hold a singleton club atmost and declarer can throw you in the end, not matter what you hold.

(If he has the ♥Q and 4 hearts or 4 diamonds, he as 12 top tricks).

So hope partner has ♥Q, and as others have said, we duck the first trick to avoid partner getting squeezed in the majors.

This post has been edited by Trumpace: 2005-July-18, 18:27

[Walddk]

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I don't like to expose my partner to a squeeze by rectifying the count and give declarer 3 club tricks. He has 11 top tricks if I rise with ♣K, and the 12th will come automatically by squeezing East in the majors (Vienna Coup).

So I play low at trick 2 and hope that the layout is something like this.

Roland

[mikeh]

It's actually pretty simple when you hold this kind of hand. You can do the technical analysis, and sometimes you have to. That is especially true if you hold much of the defensive cards, because you may duck and later get strip-squeezed and end-played into leading away from the K into the AJ: a horrible fate!

But when you hold no other strength, you can usually apply the 'inverted' rule.

Consider declarer's play. You need not construct his hand: just ask yourself what he hopes to accomplish in the ♣ suit. Clearly he is trying to maximize his chances of winning 3 tricks in the suit, while being happy to lose one immediately.

So rising with the King is what he wants you to do. Invert that: he wants you to do something, so do the opposite. He wants you to give hima 3rd ♣ trick: deny him that trick, even though you cannot be sure how it is coming back to you. 9 times out of 10, it does come back to you (actually, here, it will likely come back to partner, who will say: "nice duck, partner")

And a smooth duck will get partner to tell others what a good defender you are!

If he has hoaxed you (and me)completely, don't tell me about it