[LukeG]

Scoring: IMP

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You open 1♣, LHO doubles, partner bids 3♣, RHO passes and you close the auction with 5♣.

LHO leads a trump (thank you!) and you win in dummy with the Jack. You lead a low ♥ to your Queen and LHO's Ace. LHO returns a ♥ to RHO's 10 and your King. When you cash a high trump, LHO discards a low ♥. How do you proceed?

[helium]

sice lh have to have king of spades only chance i see is if lh have this hand:
S Kxxxx,H Axx.D AKxx, C x but then its strange that he x and dint bid 1S:) but here we go:

draw last tromf and one more hart discarding spades from dummy, and play dimond, lh is endplayed, if he play low dimond use Q and play last dimont to ruff last hart and trow spade in dummy 11 tricks:)

how did i do?

[Free]

draw the last trump, and play both ♥s discarding 2 ♠s (the Q to). Play ♦ and now West is endplayed.

West has to bring a trick

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The small cards are randomly placed, since "x" doesnt work anymore

EDIT: seems we're able to change the code to get x's

[inquiry]

Quote

The small cards are randomly placed, since "x" doesnt work anymore 

West has to bring a trick

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The zen of "x"s... just for you free....

On the given hand, you should give the ♠T to WEST. The need to discard the ♠Q is unecessary. In fact, you can keep all three ♦ cash the ♠A before leading the ♦.

West has to bring a trick

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Here cash your ♠ ACE and exit a small ♦ (or just exit small ♦.

But in reality, do you play for WEST to be so bad as to NOT take the ♦ACE in when in with ♥A? or at least lead a ♦ form ♦AK at trick one? The endplay is cute, and I guess i play for it too..

[LukeG]

I was the declarer and decided that it was very unlikely that LHO had the ♦ AK from his failure to lead that suit at tricks one or three. This means that the ♠ finesse will not work. So I took what looked like the only legitimate play - to pin the doubleton ♠ ten in RHO's hand. Of course, this results in down 2 when it fails but undoubled at IMPs you should be willing to accept that result.

Well, a funny thing happened along the way. I drew the last trump and ran my ♥ winners, discarding low ♠s from the dummy. On the fourth ♥, RHO discarded a low ♠ from an original holding of 10xx! So my pin play worked out after all

[Trpltrbl]

Playing in a GNT, and being in game with already a favorable lead. Play to make. And the none♦ lead gives away that honors are split. Which means I can't make, LHO must have, beside the Ace of♥ and high♦ honor, the king of ♠. And pinning the 10 of ♠ only works if spades are 5-2, or defensive error. But is your only chance, a very very small one but better then nothing.

Mike