[Fluffy]

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♣3 is led to the ace, ♠4 is returned.

[TWO4BRIDGE]

Fluffy, on 2013-July-19, 13:25, said:

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♣3 is led to the ace, ♠4 is returned. [ EDIT: you mean some other small ♠ ] .

If you don't pitch ( ♠ on ♣ K ) you risk losing 4 tricks ( ♣, ♠, and ♥ A & Q ) .

So, lead to ♦J for your ♠ pitch and then lead ♥ -- giving up your 2 ♥ tricks .

[ The risk is a 2nd round ♦ ruff ..... unless they split 2-2 ] .

[mikeh]

win spade, diamond to hand, pitch spade, heart K

There is a reasonable but not solid inference available that diamonds split since both opps have had a chance to lead a stiff. Admittedly either might quite reasonably have seen that as inappropriate but there has to be some chance that they would have done so if they were able, but no chance either would lead a doubleton. A sort of restricted choice argument.

As for the choice of the heart K, it has a theoretical edge over small in that it may catch a stiff Q: catching a stiff Ace on a low heart isn't quite as useful. Plus there is a non-trivial chance that LHO (who rates to hold the A) might duck and if he does so, you're home free on all 3-2 trump breaks. There's no real reason for him to do so, but defenders sometimes make poor plays.

[JLOGIC]

I would take a pitch, there is some inference that things will break well since the opps never bid over 1D or 1D p 1H with 18 HCP and 10 clubs and 7 spades. And as mikeh says, even more inference that diamonds will break well since LHO would often lead a stiff diamond, and if he chose not to he's likely to have the HQ anyways.

[gnasher]

I'd take a pitch too, but having done so I'd attempt to cross back to dummy in diamonds, so that I can take a heart finesse.

If, as seems likely, diamonds are 2-2, I may have avoided losing a trump trick unnecessarily, which will be important if trumps are 4-1.

If diamonds are 3-1, I'm probably going to lose the ruff regardless of what I do. If I'm going to suffer a diamond ruff, I can't afford to play trumps from my hand. By playing a diamond myself, I give myself the chance of making when I can bring in the remaining trumps for one loser.

This post has been edited by gnasher: 2013-July-19, 15:26

[nige1]

Fluffy, on 2013-July-19, 13:25, said:

♣3 is led to the ace, ♠4 is returned.

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gnasher, on 2013-July-19, 14:39, said:

I'd take a pitch too, but having done so I'd attempt to cross back to dummy in diamonds, so that I can take a heart finesse. If, as seems likely, diamonds are 2-2, I may have avoided losing a trump trick unnecessarily, which will be important if trumps are 4-1.
If diamonds are 3-1, I'm probably going to lose the ruff regardless of what I do. If I'm going to suffer a diamond ruff, I can't afford to play trumps from my hand. By playing a diamond myself, I give myself the chance of making when I can bring in the remaining trumps for one loser.

Agree with Two4Bridge and MikeH: ♠A, ♦J, ♣K chucking a ♠, ♥K.
A second round of diamonds (to take the ♥ finesse) fails when ...

• Defenders take an immediate ♦ ruff and 2 more trumps e.g. ♥A and another ♦ ruff.
• ♦ are 2-2 but you have 2 fast ♥ losers -- defenders can then lead ♠s when they gain the lead, to end-play dummy.

[Free]

Hell yeah I'd go for the pitch

[Fluffy]

RHO had ♠K8xx ♥Qxx ♦x ♣AQxxx, very close Andy, but I think your line won't work against this one although I think it is clearly best.

[gnasher]

Fluffy, on 2013-July-20, 15:29, said:

RHO had ♠K8xx ♥Qxx ♦x ♣AQxxx

How much more does he need for a takeout double of 1♦?

[bigbenvic]

gnasher, on 2013-July-21, 15:48, said:

How much more does he need for a takeout double of 1♦?

Is there anything wrong with ruffing a spade in dummy to lead trumps after you win J♦ and pitch a spade?

If AQx onside you gain by leading J from dummy, if spades are 5-2 and east has the 8 of trumps he can get an uppercut but I thought that not losing 2 trumps plus a ruff could be important.

[Fluffy]

ruffing a spade doesn't only lose when spades are 5-2 (no uppercut is needed, they can pitch their doubleton diamond as well), when they are 4-3 and ♥Q is offside they will force dummy, and if ♥A has a 4th spade it will be high.