[mikeh]

RHO is 4=5 in the reds, and LHO 3=3. Both had at least one in each black suit.

If rho were xxx KJxx AKQxx x, I'd think that he might well switch to a club at trick 2. And anyway, I think I have problems with that layout. If I ruff with the Q and then lead a low trump, LHO wins his now stiff Jack and cashes a club and gives partner a club ruff.

And I don't think I can ever make if LHO has Jx(x) of trumps left at this stage, regardless of who holds the club K.

So I ruff with the 10, as LHO pitches a club (I hope). I cash the Queen, with both following.

Regardless of who played what, so long as they both followed, I exit in trump.

If LHO wins:

If he has the club K, he can cash it and surrender to dummy's Queen, or he can underlead it, and I pop the Q, with complete assurance, since RHO is endplayed if he held the K.

If rho wins, he is 3=4=5=1 (Jxx KJxx AKQxx x) and has to lead a diamond to dummy, giving me 4 spades, 2 hearts, 2 ruffs, a club and a diamond.

[655321]

mikeh, on Jun 20 2008, 02:04 PM, said:

So I ruff with the 10, as LHO pitches a club (I hope). I cash the Queen, with both following.

Regardless of who played what, so long as they both followed, I exit in trump.

If LHO wins:

If he has the club K, he can cash it and surrender to dummy's Queen, or he can underlead it, and I pop the Q, with complete assurance, since RHO is endplayed if he held the K.

If rho wins, he is 3=4=5=1 (Jxx KJxx AKQxx x) and has to lead a diamond to dummy, giving me 4 spades, 2 hearts, 2 ruffs, a club and a diamond.

Sadly, the Laws of bridge require you to pitch something from dummy on the ♠Q and spade exit.

I like your line of ruffing with the 10, cashing the Queen and exiting with a trump too.
If LHO follows to the last trump RHO is 2452, and may have opened 1NT with the ♣K, so I pitch a diamond and play LHO for the ♣K.
If LHO shows out, then RHO is 3451 and has to give dummy a diamond (club pitch).

This post has been edited by 655321: 2008-June-20, 19:31

[mikeh]

655321, on Jun 20 2008, 08:17 PM, said:

mikeh, on Jun 20 2008, 02:04 PM, said:

So I ruff with the 10, as LHO pitches a club (I hope). I cash the Queen, with both following.

Regardless of who played what, so long as they both followed, I exit in trump.

If LHO wins:

If he has the club K, he can cash it and surrender to dummy's Queen, or he can underlead it, and I pop the Q, with complete assurance, since RHO is endplayed if he held the K.

If rho wins, he is 3=4=5=1 (Jxx KJxx AKQxx x) and has to lead a diamond to dummy, giving me 4 spades, 2 hearts, 2 ruffs, a club and a diamond.

Sadly, the Laws of bridge require you to pitch something from dummy on the ♠Q and spade exit.

too true Ok, then if rho is winning the 3rd spade, i pitch a club. If lho, then I pitch a diamond, and play the long clubs to hold the K... Jx KJxx AKQxx Kx just might open 1N. Jxx KJxx AKQxx x is endplayed

[benlessard]

What is the Nt range of the opps ?

[gnasher]

Jlall, on Jun 20 2008, 07:29 PM, said:

Do you agree with your previous play?

No: I wouldn't have cashed the ace of clubs. Instead, I would have used it as an entry to my hand after cashing ♠K. In the diagram position, I'd be in hand rather than in dummy. I'd cash ♠Q, hoping for the jack to drop, then lead a club towards the queen. This gains over the line being dissed by MikeH and 655321 when LHO has ♠Jx.

Alternatively, if my plan is to make my small trumps by ruffing, the correct sequence is HQ, HA, H ruff, D ruff, spade to dummy, D ruff, ♣A, H ruff. That is, I take my two diamond ruffs without letting RHO discard a diamond.

With the play as it's gone, I'm puzzled that I seem to have a diamond winner in dummy. Either RHO has ♦AKQ only, or he's trying to make me think he has. If he has ♦AKQ only, he has Jxxx KJxx AKQ xx and I should ruff low. However, that would give his partner x xxx 1087xx Kxxx, which doesn't look like a pass over 1♠. So, I'd play for RHO to have five diamonds, and play as suggested by MikeH.