[nige1]

Another typical effort
Click Next to see the first seven tricks.
What now?

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[TylerE]

Why aren't we playing the Q♦ at trick 3 so we can ditch the club loser? Worse case they simplify the trump position.

[mikeh]

TylerE, on 2018-November-06, 14:13, said:

Why aren't we playing the Q♦ at trick 3 so we can ditch the club loser? Worse case they simplify the trump position.

Because if LHO ruffs the diamond Queen, we have, shall we say, problems? And even if diamonds are 2-2, playing a 3rd round allows the hypothetical doubleton opposition trump to ruff.

edited to remove nonsense

[johnu]

mikeh, on 2018-November-06, 15:10, said:

As it is, I have no idea why LHO rose with the heart K, and I will be careful not to ask him later, or to thank him. I'd still be in the tank wondering which heart to play from dummy at trick 3...although in a vacuum, the Q is correct....it's a pure guess when they are 3-3, but the only 4-2 where we can save a trick is Jx.

There are only 5 hearts out, declarer has a 6-2 trump fit.

[mikeh]

I should never work on play issues while also thinking about work:(

I noted, in answering why we don't play a diamond at trick 3, with the recognition that even if it survives, and we play a 3rd round to pitch a club, the doubleton heart ruffs in, but then suggested a line of play based on trump being 4-2. Oh well.

Back to the actual hand: in the 6 card end position, if we assume that LHO was 6=3=1=3, he still has a club exit. So lead a low spade to the Q, losing to the King. We still need the stiff Jack on our right. So that part of my otherwise silly post still seems to me to be accurate. The real change is that we can't afford to blow our diamond entry to lead the spade Queen: we have to allow LHO to let us ruff his club exit and still get to our hand.

I'm still at work, so maybe missed something else basic:)

[johnu]

Instead of playing a 4th round of trump, I would have led ♠5. If East has singleton king, the ♠Q is an entry to the good diamonds after I ruff one if necessary. If East has a singleton jack, I cover, and can return to hand with ♦A to finesse against the 9 (unless diamonds were 2-2).

[nige1]

Another typical effort
Click Next to see the first seven tricks.
What now?
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I ran the ♦ to go one down
Had I led ♠5 to ♠J, ♠Q and ♠K, and later finessed ♠8,
I would have made an easy 10 tricks.
JohnU's line is better: leading a ♠, a trick earlier, and
making when RHO has either ♠K or singleton ♠J.

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