[kuhchung]

Robot alerts 3C as 7+C

[The_Badger]

You can lose 2♠ and a ♥ so I'm playing for a 3-2 trump split, and even though it's anti-positional, ruffing a ♣ on trick two - which seems so routine given the bidding - opens you up to an overruff if you lose a ♠ finesse, so I'm entering dummy in ♦ by leading the ♦ 2 (blocking the suit) and then running the ♠J. Does that work?

[Winstonm]

At this vulnerability I don't think East has more than his KQ(J)xxxx of clubs. I can't ruff 2 clubs without an over-ruff. I think I have to ruff a club and pitch a club while holding my major suit losers to no more than 3 - without losing control.

I am placing LHO with something like x, xxx, xx, KQ(J)xxxx. Hopefully, the spade is the 8 or singleton Q.

My first thought is to win the club ace and lead a low spade. If it turns out I have 2 spade losers, I will finesse against the jack of hearts, which is about all LHO should have left in his hand.

[rhm]

I guess East has probably 7 clubs for his bid and West the heart ace.
The play gets complicated because there are many scenarios.

East most likely distribution is 7♣321.
A shortage is only slightly more likely in spades as in either red suit and equally likely in either of them.
Therefor I see no point in trying to reach dummy, which might open the deal to a defensive cross ruff

Win the club ace and play a low spade from hand.

Case 1: East wins with a spade honor.
If East plays a second club, ruff high and run the spade ten assuming West follows. This looses only if East has KQx in spades and East gets a heart ruff or possibly when he plays back a third spade and West has the heart jack.
Seems unlikely from the bidding.
You should be able to mange 4 spades with West
If East plays a heart and gets heart ruff. Take a spade finesse against West playing for divided honors.

Case 2. West wins with a spade honor.

If West returns a club, ruff and play spade to the ace, assuming West follows.
Whether East follows or not ruff the remaining club high.
There is no problem if trumps are 3-2 or if West overruffs.
If West has 4 spades and does not over-ruff, play him to hold at least 3 diamonds.
Play 3 rounds of diamonds ending in dummy and then play a heart to the king. (The assumption is that West has the ace of hearts)
If West wins he will have to return a red suit or trumps and West gets only 2 trumps and the heart ace.
If the heart king wins play your last diamond. If West ruffs low you overruff and end-play him in trumps.
If he does not ruff you exit in the 3 card ending with a heart for a trump trick

If West gives East a red suit ruff (say heart ace, heart ruff) you will need to guess who has the remaining spade honor.

Rainer Herrmann

[dokoko]

rhm, on 2018-October-02, 09:56, said:

...
Case 1: East wins with a spade honor.
If East plays a second club, ruff high and run the spade ten assuming West follows. This looses only if East has KQx in spades and East gets a heart ruff or possibly when he plays back a third spade and West has the heart jack.
...
Rainer Herrmann

What about West starting with ♠853 and ruffing the club return when the trump finesse loses?

[MP7601]

rhm, on 2018-October-02, 09:56, said:

I guess East has probably 7 clubs for his bid and West the heart ace.
The play gets complicated because there are many scenarios.

East most likely distribution is 7♣321.
A shortage is only slightly more likely in spades as in either red suit and equally likely in either of them.
Therefor I see no point in trying to reach dummy, which might open the deal to a defensive cross ruff

I think East would have led a side suit singleton if he had one.
So he is likely to be short in trumps, if he is indeed 7321.

[rhm]

dokoko, on 2018-October-03, 14:26, said:

What about West starting with ♠853 and ruffing the club return when the trump finesse loses?

Correct this is another losing case I can not cater for. You could ruff the second club low, but this might lose to 8 clubs with East, so I think it is still better to ruff the second club high.

Rainer Herrmann

[rhm]

MP7601, on 2018-October-03, 22:54, said:

I think East would have led a side suit singleton if he had one.
So he is likely to be short in trumps, if he is indeed 7321.

This is not clear when East has a seven card suit headed by KQ or KQJ in clubs and a (likely) spade honor.
Whatever, as far as I can see my suggested line of play handles all cases where East is short in trumps.

Rainer Herrmann

[msjennifer]

Its not easy to find a foolproof solution.I would have followed the line which has been already posted by "rhm" This play will be successfull in most of the "LIKELY"distributions of the trump suit.

[kuhchung]

To close the loop on this one, East has Qxx x xx KQxxxxx