[pescetom]

It's the last board in a club tournament and you are second on your line by a few MP.

MP

---

The auction gives you no chance to shine and the lead of ♦2 after natural interference has you thinking too.
Their agreement is 4th below honour, but South is an eternal beginner and the only certainty is that it is the smallest.


What are your concerns, how do you proceed and how many tricks will you settle for?

[mikeh]

Spoiler

I play the 7 and win in hand no matter what north plays. High club, unblocking the 9 if south plays an honour or shows out. Then club to the queen and club towards my hand. I’m unhappy if north has J10xx(x) but it would be silly to take only 4 tricks in the suit when they are 3-2, as by playing to the queen and advancing the 9. Note that would be the correct play at imps where you might fail otherwise, if south has something like 2=4=6=1 and north can fire a heart honour through us. Tell me the club situation and I’ll tell you how many tricks I’m playing for

If south shows out on an early club, tell me what he pitches

[pescetom]

Reply to spoiler of mikeh:

Spoiler

Thanks for the reminder of the IMPs safety play.
N played ♦7 and the clubs are plain sailing: South has J65 and North T3, discarding a spade.

[mikeh]

pescetom, on 2023-April-13, 13:19, said:

Reply to spoiler of mikeh:

Spoiler

Thanks for the reminder of the IMPs safety play.
N played ♦7 and the clubs are plain sailing: South has J65 and North T3, discarding a spade.

I doubt north played the beer card at trick one…it’s in dummy😀

[mikeh]

Spoiler

I’d need to be at the table but my plan is to pitch a heart and a spade from dummy. After reducing to 7 cards, south should be down to Q10x in diamonds but might keep an extra one.

I’m playing south for the heart ace, so it comes down to assessing shape and for that I want to be at the table, especially against non-experts, who struggle to play smoothly in these situations. I’m expecting, but not committing, to stripping the spades, but obviously I need to feel some comfort that south wasn’t say 3=1=6=3.

If I think she’s stiffed her heart to keep an extra diamond, I can exit a low heart. Otherwise my plan is to hook the diamond and then throw her in after cashing the diamond ace. In the two card ending I’d hope she has Ax (where x is Queen or lower) in hearts. Since she’s a favourite to hold a second heart honour, and to struggle with pitches, I’d expect to go right most times

[pescetom]

mikeh, on 2023-April-13, 14:07, said:

I doubt north played the beer card at trick one…it’s in dummy😀

Oops
Sorry, I replied playing in a tournament.
North played the 6 and so 7 would hold if anyone so prefers.

[pescetom]

Solution

Spoiler

Eleven tricks are possible and Mikeh has it right, of course.

Even without table feel, when you successfully run all five clubs and strip two spades it is fairly clear from the discards that South was 2=3=5=3 and when you have won the first nine tricks she now holds ♥AQ ♦QT while you have ♦AJ in dummy (or A9 if she held onto Q8).
So now you can cash the ♦A and continue diamonds (whichever she discarded) obtaining one more trick.

Or if you're sure about the cards and want some fun, you could even leave the two diamonds and throw in a small heart: now she is forced to concede two diamonds tricks, with the twist that she may figure out to take with ♥A and return ♥Q, which you will duck