[olliebol]

Scoring: IMP

bidding:
east 1 club,south 1 nt, west pass ,north 3nt, all pass

---

lead diamond 4 to queen east who takes the diamond king also and switches to the spade ten. They lead 3rd 5th. Take it from there.

[Free]

♠A, K and Q, what happens?

[Hanoi5]

I have only 6 tricks. Diamonds appear to be 5-2. I need two extra-tricks in clubs, so I'll start with small club to the 9 (in case LHO has a singleton honor). I plan to get to this ending with the lead in my hand:

---
KJ
9
---

5
5
J
---

And probably play a spade to RHO so that he leads a heart.

[Codo]

I play on clubs. I play the jack, even if LHo has a singelton honour, I can later finesse the 8.
Later I try Hanois nice endplay. If I get to know something interessting- like RHO holds the spades, I may reconsider.

[Phil]

This hand is a lot more interesting than others are portraying.

Where do you think the club honors are?

[olliebol]

If you start with the spades you find them 3-3. If you start with a club to the nine east takes with the king and returns the spade nine.

[mikeh]

As Phil pointed out, we 'know' where the club honours are, if we have paid attention. We can place LHO with the diamond Ace and the spade jack and that leaves little room for any other high cards.

I would cash the top spades. i am saved from having to deal with poor splits, 'cos I read that spades are 3-3. I now unblock the heart A, cash the last spade, throwing a diamond, and duck a club to East.

He is screwed. If he gives me the heart J, I give him his second and last club trick.

If he gives me, instead, a cheap club trick, I will know by now how clubs split.

If clubs are 0=5, and he has kept his clubs, he has come down to a stiff heart Queen and I drop it. Otherwise, I cash the club Ace and throw him back in to lead into the heart KJ.

[Codo]

I guess it was not just me how did not read the bidding correctly.
So yes, Mike is right.

[Free]

olliebol, on Apr 29 2010, 11:54 PM, said:

If you start with the spades you find them 3-3. If you start with a club to the nine east takes with the king and returns the spade nine.

Since ♠ split 3-3 I now have 7 tricks. After ♠AKQ I'll play a small ♣ to the 9. What happens?

I'm not 100% sure RHO doesn't have ♦AKQ, so LHO may still have a ♣ honour. I don't want to ruin my ♥A and ♣A just yet, and I don't want to play my 13th ♠ either at this moment. We may have some sort of guard squeeze against East later on, endplays,... There are a lot of ways to play this hand!

[vuroth]

Phil, on Apr 29 2010, 12:36 PM, said:

Where do you think the club honors are?

I think LHO has H or Hx. A low club to dummy should pick up 3 club tricks if this is true.

EDIT - never mind. As unlikely as it seems that LHO led low from Axxxx, the alternative is even more unlikely - that RHO didn't continue diamaonds from AKQx AND that he has longer clubs than diamonds. RHO has both club honours.

[pooltuna]

olliebol, on Apr 28 2010, 03:44 PM, said:

Scoring: IMP

bidding:
east 1 club,south 1 nt, west  pass ,north 3nt, all pass 

---

lead diamond 4 to queen east who takes the diamond king also and switches to the spade ten. They lead 3rd 5th. Take it from there.

Looks like you need to play RHO to hold

---

so clear the ♠s and finesse a ♣ into RHO who will be forced to return either a ♥ or the critical 2nd ♣ which will allow you to win the 2nd and 3rd ♣ leads before re-endplaying him with the 4th ♣. don't forget to cash the ♥A first.

[olliebol]

I think this as a hand where you go easily wrong. I did anyway. PLaying one round of clubs before the spades meant one down. The east hand that did open one club: sp 1097 hearts Q876 dims KQ clubs KQ83.

After three rounds of spades you play a club to the nine,east excits with a small club, you take the jack seeing west discard on this trick, cash the ace of hearts and throw east back in via ace and another club for a heart back.

[Free]

You forgot the 4th ♠ after cashing ♥A

[olliebol]

lol down again