[pclayton]

Scoring: IMP

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You play in 3N after forgetting to bid 2♥ the 2nd round. LHO leads the ♠6 (RHO plays the 9 (udca)). You decide to pop the King and lead a heart from the board, 10, K, Ace.

LHO continues with the ♠2 to your Q (RHO playing the 5).

What now?

[jtfanclub]

Looks like West had 5 spades, both major suit aces, and didn't overcall 1 club.

I'm no expert, but I see doom on the horizon....

[skjaeran]

jtfanclub, on Jan 25 2008, 06:08 PM, said:

Looks like West had 5 spades, both major suit aces, and didn't overcall 1 club.

I'm no expert, but I see doom on the horizon....

You might decide to play for him to have ATxxx Axx xx Jxx then.

Cash ♦AK and ♥Qxx ending in hand (hopefully you remembered unblocking dummys hearts from the start) and endplay west with the last spade.

[jtfanclub]

Ah, clever, I like it! It did not occur to me to cash two diamonds.

[pclayton]

skaeran, on Jan 25 2008, 09:42 AM, said:

jtfanclub, on Jan 25 2008, 06:08 PM, said:

Looks like West had 5 spades, both major suit aces, and didn't overcall 1 club.

I'm no expert, but I see doom on the horizon....

You might decide to play for him to have ATxxx Axx xx Jxx then.

Cash ♦AK and ♥Qxx ending in hand (hopefully you remembered unblocking dummys hearts from the start) and endplay west with the last spade.

This is an excellent suggestion. There's one other possibility (hint - want to change T2?) that I can see - maybe there's others.

[Fluffy]

cash heart queen to see if it breacks, if it doest look for 5 diamond tricks.

[pclayton]

Here's the other idea I had but it came too late.

At the time I thought my best chance was for E to have the ♥JT, the ♦Q and the ♣K (he really needs ♣KJ as it turns out, play it out - its an interesting exercise). So, cash hearts ending in hand and exit the spade. If LHO cashes spades, theres a suicide squeeze and if he doesn't, strip squeeze east.

Here's the rub. To cash the hearts ending in hand before the spade exit you needed to unblock a middle heart on the 1st lead, so you can finish with the 6 spot.

Did you see it?

[skjaeran]

pclayton, on Jan 26 2008, 08:00 PM, said:

Here's the other idea I had but it came too late.

At the time I thought my best chance was for E to have the ♥JT, the ♦Q and the ♣K (he really needs ♣KJ as it turns out, play it out - its an interesting exercise). So, cash hearts ending in hand and exit the spade. If LHO cashes spades, theres a suicide squeeze and if he doesn't, strip squeeze east.

Here's the rub. To cash the hearts ending in hand before the spade exit you needed to unblock a middle heart on the 1st lead, so you can finish with the 6 spot.

Did you see it?

You don't need to see the benefit of unblocking from the start. Unblocking should be routine - then you can later decide where you want your last entry.

It's just the same as routine ruffs at trick two and keeping the lowest trump for an entry or endplay (the latter is rare though).

Learn these habits, and once in a while you'll profit.

[pclayton]

Jlall, on Jan 26 2008, 02:35 PM, said:

skaeran, on Jan 26 2008, 05:25 PM, said:

pclayton, on Jan 26 2008, 08:00 PM, said:

Here's the other idea I had but it came too late.

At the time I thought my best chance was for E to have the ♥JT, the ♦Q and the ♣K (he really needs ♣KJ as it turns out, play it out - its an interesting exercise). So, cash hearts ending in hand and exit the spade. If LHO cashes spades, theres a suicide squeeze and if he doesn't, strip squeeze east.

Here's the rub. To cash the hearts ending in hand before the spade exit you needed to unblock a middle heart on the 1st lead, so you can finish with the 6 spot.

Did you see it?

You don't need to see the benefit of unblocking from the start. Unblocking should be routine - then you can later decide where you want your last entry.

It's just the same as routine ruffs at trick two and keeping the lowest trump for an entry or endplay (the latter is rare though).

Learn these habits, and once in a while you'll profit.

Or get into the habit of leading the 9 from dummy to try and induce a cover

I wish the games I played in were that soft

[Winstonm]

I'm going to lay down the heart Q. If the hearts are 4-1, I'm going to cash out for down 2 and minimize the damage.

[pclayton]

Jlall, on Jan 26 2008, 03:07 PM, said:

pclayton, on Jan 26 2008, 05:50 PM, said:

Jlall, on Jan 26 2008, 02:35 PM, said:

skaeran, on Jan 26 2008, 05:25 PM, said:

pclayton, on Jan 26 2008, 08:00 PM, said:

Here's the other idea I had but it came too late.

At the time I thought my best chance was for E to have the ♥JT, the ♦Q and the ♣K (he really needs ♣KJ as it turns out, play it out - its an interesting exercise). So, cash hearts ending in hand and exit the spade. If LHO cashes spades, theres a suicide squeeze and if he doesn't, strip squeeze east.

Here's the rub. To cash the hearts ending in hand before the spade exit you needed to unblock a middle heart on the 1st lead, so you can finish with the 6 spot.

Did you see it?

You don't need to see the benefit of unblocking from the start. Unblocking should be routine - then you can later decide where you want your last entry.

It's just the same as routine ruffs at trick two and keeping the lowest trump for an entry or endplay (the latter is rare though).

Learn these habits, and once in a while you'll profit.

Or get into the habit of leading the 9 from dummy to try and induce a cover

I wish the games I played in were that soft

What exactly do you lose by doing this? You'd be surprised what happens when you do things like this every time. And yes I do remember I was your RHO on this hand.

I didn't say you lose anything Justin. I meant it would be very unusual for RHO to cover from JTx.

I think Harald's comment about unblocking as a matter of policy is very sound.

[Winstonm]

By the way, you cannot effect a strip squeeze no matter what you do with the heart spots. After 2 rounds of spades, dummy has no more spades, so you can't cash all the hearts, and then the high diamonds, as you have no other entry to hand to play the last spade.

The guess has to come immediately after the 3rd heart, even if they break.
Do you play LHO for 5323 or 5332? If 5332, it is probably better to take the diamond finesse.

If LHO is 5332, and you cash the diamonds, on the last heart back to hand he simply discards a spade, then when thrown in with a spade reaches partner with the remaining diamond for a club through - no endplay.

[pclayton]

Winstonm, on Jan 26 2008, 03:55 PM, said:

By the way, you cannot effect a strip squeeze no matter what you do with the heart spots. After 2 rounds of spades, dummy has no more spades, so you can't cash all the hearts, and then the high diamonds, as you have no other entry to hand to play the last spade.

The guess has to come immediately after the 3rd heart, even if they break.
Do you play LHO for 5323 or 5332? If 5332, it is probably better to take the diamond finesse.

If LHO is 5332, and you cash the diamonds, on the last heart back to hand he simply discards a spade, then when thrown in with a spade reaches partner with the remaining diamond for a club through - no endplay.

No. I don't touch diamonds Winston.

I can cash my hearts (ending in hand) and exit a spade. If LHO doesn't cash the spade I keep ♦AKJ / ♣Qx. RHO has to keep parity.

[Winstonm]

pclayton, on Jan 26 2008, 09:45 PM, said:

Winstonm, on Jan 26 2008, 03:55 PM, said:

By the way, you cannot effect a strip squeeze no matter what you do with the heart spots.  After 2 rounds of spades, dummy has no more spades, so you can't cash all the hearts, and then the high diamonds, as you have no other entry to hand to play the last spade.

The guess has to come immediately after the 3rd heart, even if they break.
Do you play LHO for 5323 or 5332? If 5332, it is probably better to take the diamond finesse. 

If LHO is 5332, and you cash the diamonds, on the last heart back to hand he simply discards a spade, then when thrown in with a spade reaches partner with the remaining diamond for a club through - no endplay.

No. I don't touch diamonds Winston.

I can cash my hearts (ending in hand) and exit a spade. If LHO doesn't cash the spade I keep ♦AKJ / ♣Qx. RHO has to keep parity.

well, that was the point - strip squeeze of West, not East.

I didn't even consider trying to squeeze East as he has to hold Q of diamonds and KJ of clubs.

Better to simply take the diamond finesse.

Better, still, is to be in 4H.

[the hog]

skaeran, on Jan 26 2008, 12:42 AM, said:

jtfanclub, on Jan 25 2008, 06:08 PM, said:

Looks like West had 5 spades, both major suit aces, and didn't overcall 1 club.

I'm no expert, but I see doom on the horizon....

You might decide to play for him to have ATxxx Axx xx Jxx then.

Declarer cannot have this hand as a 1S overcall is obvious on that hand. I would also cash H to see if they break and then try the Ds.

[pclayton]

The_Hog, on Jan 26 2008, 09:42 PM, said:

skaeran, on Jan 26 2008, 12:42 AM, said:

jtfanclub, on Jan 25 2008, 06:08 PM, said:

Looks like West had 5 spades, both major suit aces, and didn't overcall 1 club.

I'm no expert, but I see doom on the horizon....

You might decide to play for him to have ATxxx Axx xx Jxx then.

Declarer cannot have this hand as a 1S overcall is obvious on that hand. I would also cash H to see if they break and then try the Ds.

LOL - he HAD that hand. Pretty obvious from the 1st few tricks isn't it?

Furthermore - if LHO has any goodies beyond that - it definitely is an overcall.

[skjaeran]

The_Hog, on Jan 27 2008, 06:42 AM, said:

skaeran, on Jan 26 2008, 12:42 AM, said:

jtfanclub, on Jan 25 2008, 06:08 PM, said:

Looks like West had 5 spades, both major suit aces, and didn't overcall 1 club.

I'm no expert, but I see doom on the horizon....

You might decide to play for him to have ATxxx Axx xx Jxx then.

Declarer cannot have this hand as a 1S overcall is obvious on that hand. I would also cash H to see if they break and then try the Ds.

Why can't I play him for that hand when I already "know" he's got 5 spades to the ace and the heart ace?