[Phil]

Dummy

Ktx
X
QXX
AKTxxx

Qjxxxx
Akx
Xx
Qx

Mps. 1c 1h 1s 2h x p 4s. Lead hQ

[ggwhiz]

Hmmm. I smell a Grosvenor.

[Kaitlyn S]

Phil, on 2017-January-01, 13:10, said:

Dummy

Ktx
X
QXX
AKTxxx

Qjxxxx
Akx
Xx
Qx

Mps. 1c 1h 1s 2h x p 4s. Lead hQ

I can't see any reasonable way to try to make 5 against competent defense so I'll try to make 4 on bad splits in the black suits. Win HA and lead a spade to the king. If I ruff my small heart at trick 2, I may run into trouble if spades are 4-0.

[Phil]

I would suggest that clubs are (not) 41.

Sorry edited.

[manudude03]

The only legitimate way I see to make +1 is to play clubs early and hope to get a diamond away, that looks too risky though effectively requiring clubs 3-2 and the hand with a doubleton to have a stiff ace of trumps (it breaks even on all other 3-2 breaks). I'll win the ace and lead the queen of spades. If it holds, I ruff a heart high and lead a second spade. I hope it makes the defenders think I am really hurting for entries to hand (QJxxxx Axx Kxx x?) and try to cash a heart.

[gszes]

Not interesting totally normal contract taking totally normal play to make.

[Phil]

gszes, on 2017-January-01, 21:36, said:

Not interesting totally normal contract taking totally normal play to make.

Yes, I posted this hand because its so 'normal'.

[Kaitlyn S]

Phil, on 2017-January-01, 22:45, said:

Yes, I posted this hand because its so 'normal'.

The trick seems to be to get the opponents not to cash diamonds when in with the SA or to get the opponents to duck spades twice. I'm not sure how you pull off this ruse against competent competition but you don't always have that.

Intentionally screwing up the club suit might work if the ♣J is doubleton as the opponents might not think you would play that way. Something extremely stupid looking like HA, club to CA, SK or S10. If they win the first spade and lead another you don't even need the ♣J doubleton. I'd like to think I or a regular partner would not fall for such a silly stunt.

Ruffing a small heart (or the HK) doesn't seem to create a problem for the defenders.

What about leading diamonds ourselves? The ♦Q is almost certainly going to be won by RHO and I can't conceive of a reason why East wouldn't lead another diamond. Unless he thought you were setting up a crossruff. But those clubs look so threatening! Clearly it can't be right for East to lead trump. Still, if you're playing against weak players, it might just work.

What about a diamond from dummy? Heart lead won by the ace, heart ruff, diamond off. Is somebody really going to think you're trying for a cross ruff and going to lead ace and a trump? If you're short on clubs, why didn't you pitch a diamond? Otherwise, why wouldn't you try to establish or run clubs? I think the defenders have to really be asleep to let this one through.

Don't win the first heart? Seems like that gives them two chances to win diamonds. Of course, if they play ace and a trump now, you're in great shape. Of course, you could be set... Yes, that would be a really awesome Grosvenor if it worked.

Maybe I'm missing something but I don't see any of these hornswoggles working against anybody decent, and if they aren't decent, they might not switch to diamonds even when I win the ace of hearts and lead trump. Obviously the fact that the hand is here says I'm doing the wrong thing. However, I beat all the pairs in 5C and those who couldn't get to game and probably those defending 5H doubled whereas if I fool around and get a bad split, I could lose to all those pairs (might tie the ones in 5C.)

You may think my last statement is ridiculous. However I remember a sectional a long time ago where partner and I had a routine auction to six clubs. We thought we were a tad above average for the result, but it turns out that if we were in one club making six we would have got a top. The rest of the scores ranged from +140 to +50 our way. That taught me to never underestimate the free matchpoints that I am risking when I try some shenanigans.

[alok c]

Another way may be ♥A,ruff a♥,♠10 indicating entry to upper hand & threatening to ruff another♥.If ♠A winner leads back another ♠ then -

[msjennifer]

I do not treat the opponents as novices or beginners.They certainly will cash their diamonds when in with SA.There is no hurry to ruff the small heart as it can be discarded finally on the high club.Of course hands can be constructed where NORMAL play will go down.

[alok c]

msjennifer, on 2017-January-02, 01:39, said:

I do not treat the opponents as novices or beginners.They certainly will cash their diamonds when in with SA.There is no hurry to ruff the small heart as it can be discarded finally on the high club.Of course hands can be constructed where NORMAL play will go down.

That was for making 11 tricks not 10-everybody knows normal play for 10 tricks.

[msjennifer]

alok c, on 2017-January-02, 01:45, said:

That was for making 11 tricks not 10-everybody knows normal play for 10 tricks.

I ,personally ,think everybody knows the play for 11 tricks based on assumptions.

[nige1]

Phil's favourite hand frm SJC

Intriguing problem, Phil My unconvincing attempt:: Win ♥A, Cash ♥K discarding a ♣ from dummy. Ruff a ♥ low, Continue ♠K. After RHO wins ♠A (and perhaps ♦A), he might be tempted to lead a 4th heart hoping to promote LHO's putative ♠J

---

[msjennifer]

nige1, on 2017-January-02, 03:10, said:

Phil's favourite hand frm SJC

Intriguing problem, Phil My unconvincing attempt:: Win ♥A, Cash ♥K discarding a ♣ from dummy. Ruff a ♥ low, Continue ♠K. After RHO wins ♠A (and perhaps ♦A), he might be tempted to lead a 4th heart hoping to promote LHO's putative ♠J

---

Run three rounds of clubs.If the opponent with doubleton club has singleton spade Ace,you are through to an overtrick as whether he ruffs or not you discard a diamond from your hand.Ifs and buts are always there.I even think that if RHO holds all four trumps you can still score 11 tricks by playing on clubs continuously as you have enough entries to dummy ruffing your heart honor if necessary and coup RHO.

[alok c]

msjennifer, on 2017-January-02, 01:59, said:

I ,personally ,think everybody knows the play for 11 tricks based on assumptions.

Bridge is having an integral part of assumptions.Everybody assumes something during play,prudency/logic of that matters.

[msjennifer]

India is famous for its philosophers.

[alok c]

deleted

[alok c]

msjennifer, on 2017-January-02, 06:59, said:

India is famous for its philosophers.

Elementary,dear Watson.

[Phil]

My opponents are a pretty strong H and W pair. They aren't the class of the field, but they generally get a low seed, like table 13. I'd put them in the top 20%.

So here was my thought process.

1. The hearts look like 4-5. Yet, LHO didn't bounce to 3, so she doesn't have shortness. And if LHO doesn't have shortness, neither does RHO (see why?)

2. I don't know where the diamond honors are. The pointed aces would be enough for an overcall.

MsJennifer did come up with the layout where I can legitimately make 11 tricks. This requires RHO to have the stiff sA and a doubleton club. But this would give RHO 1=5=5=2 and he would probably overcall 2N. However, 2=5=4=2 or 2=5=3=3 looked like likely possibilities.

I do not see any issues blocking clubs. We can always chicken out and change our mind by ruffing the heart. This isn't a layout where we need the source of tricks.

I thought if RHO had a hand like Ax T9xxx Axxx xx, that if I played a club to the board and a spade up, that he might not hop. After all, if my trump are solid why am I bothering to cross to the club to play a trump? Maybe he thinks I have Qxxxx and he doesn't want to help me in trumps?

In practice, RHO did have Ax T9xxx AKxx xx and yes I think he blundered by ducking. But even good players make mistakes, especially if you give them the chance.

If you won the heart in hand and just fired a trump, I don't think you are thinking about the hands deeply enough.

[ahydra]

Phil, on 2017-January-02, 07:53, said:

I do not see any issues blocking clubs. We can always chicken out and change our mind by ruffing the heart. This isn't a layout where we need the source of tricks.

I thought if RHO had a hand like Ax T9xxx Axxx xx, that if I played a club to the board and a spade up, that he might not hop. After all, if my trump are solid why am I bothering to cross to the club to play a trump? Maybe he thinks I have Qxxxx and he doesn't want to help me in trumps?

In practice, RHO did have Ax T9xxx AKxx xx and yes I think he blundered by ducking. But even good players make mistakes, especially if you give them the chance.

I am very confused. What have we gained by blocking our own club suit here? edit: OK I see it now (cash CQ then ruff a heart and watch RHO's face fall as he can't prevent declarer discarding a diamond) - a great analysis to find at the table!

ahydra