[benlessard]

Scoring: MP

---

1D-----1H
3C-----3D
3NT

3 of S (4th best you dont have the 2.)

won in hand cash the k of H that is ducked.

Now what is your plan ? You are in a medium club field.

[Fluffy]

♦Q and see if the 10 is doubleton

[the hog]

Fluffy, on Sep 3 2009, 06:44 AM, said:

♦Q and see if the 10 is doubleton

Me too.

[ONEferBRID]

The_Hog, on Sep 2 2009, 07:24 PM, said:

Fluffy, on Sep 3 2009, 06:44 AM, said:

♦Q and see if the 10 is doubleton

Me too.

Me 3 .

[Codo]

4 me

[gnasher]

Say that someone wins ♦K and plays back another spade. Presumably we win in hand, because we don't yet know what we want to use dummy's spade entry for. Then we cash ♦A, but the ten doesn't drop. We cash some more diamonds, but nobody throws ♣K, and LHO keeps all his spades. We play a spade to dummy, and RHO shows out. We play a club, and ...?

♦Q gains when diamonds are specifically 10x-Kxx (if LHO has Kxx, he just ducks). That's about 10% of the time. ♦Q loses when ♦K is singleton (6%), and also whenever spades are 5-2 and I misguess the club.

If I think LHO isn't up to baring ♣K, ♦Q is best. Against a good LHO, however, I'd lead ♦A and then ♦Q.

[Fluffy]

The OP said medium club field Andy, my club doesn't even consider ducking ♦Q, I have no problem believing yours is better.

[benlessard]

Ive played the J of D. RHO won and returned a S won in Hand. At this point ive tried a low D And LHO played low without any worry. I was tempted to play the 7 and probably should but played the 9. It was hard to lose 2 tricks to bare KT onside.

Ive manged to make 3 but for a bottom.

[gnasher]

benlessard, on Sep 3 2009, 12:40 PM, said:

Ive played the J of D. RHO won and returned a S won in Hand. At this point ive tried a low D And LHO played low without any worry. I was tempted to play the 7 and probably should but played the 9. It was hard to lose 2 tricks to bare KT onside.

Ive manged to make 3 but for a bottom.

I admire your courage: If I'd played the hand like that, I wouldn't have published it on the Internet. I can't see how your line can ever gain over trying to find ♦10 doubleton.

Suppose that LHO holds ♦10xx or ♦10x. Presumbly he'll win the second diamond and clear the spades. If you play a heart now and LHO wins it, he'll have at least one spade to cash, so you make at most nine tricks.

If RHO wins the heart, he'll play a club, attacking your communications. To make ten tricks now, you'll have to take a club finesse. If you were going to do that, you might just as well have played diamonds from the top.

[benlessard]

I forgot to mention a very important point RHO hesitated when ive played the K of H.

Even with "feeling" the K is in RHO Im not proud of my line. I was seriously hoping that RHO would continue spades without too much thinking, or that LHO would give me a sign for the D. (Playing the T or hesitating from Txx)

At the end I didnt trust LHO diamond quick play and so i was punish by changing plan in the middle of a hand without good reason.

I also wondering if you have no intention of playing low D toward dummy than is playing the A of D (instead of a Q or J) at trick 2 a better play ?


Another pearl ive done today in a v weak field.

W vs R MP im the dealer.

xxx
AKx
AQxxx
AT

1D------(2C)--------P--------(P)
X--------(P)---------2H-------(3C)
X--------(P)---------3D-------(4C)
X

My K of H didnt cash.

partner bid 3D with

xx
Qxxxxx
xxxx
x

I would have bid 3H with his hand but in any case its not that surprising one of my trick get ruffed even in a very weak field