[MrAce]

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IMP pairs, uncontested auction after S opens 2NT, stayman and 4♠

Lead : ♥ T, Q, K and A ( T denies J )

What is your plan for first 3 tricks ? ( After that i will provide you what they played if you don't wanna write what would you do if A or B or C happens )

[CamHenry]

MrAce, on 2012-December-06, 14:04, said:

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IMP pairs, uncontested auction after S opens 2NT, stayman and 4♠

Lead : ♥ T, Q, K and A ( T denies J )

What is your plan for first 3 tricks ? ( After that i will provide you what they played if you don't wanna write what would you do if A or B or C happens )

♥A, ♠A, ♥ ruffed low. I then wonder who dealt: if "someone other than S", I know W has some values. I play a ♦ to the 9, as each exit to W sets up an endplay.

[rhm]

MrAce, on 2012-December-06, 14:04, said:

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IMP pairs, uncontested auction after S opens 2NT, stayman and 4♠

Lead : ♥ T, Q, K and A ( T denies J )

What is your plan for first 3 tricks ? ( After that i will provide you what they played if you don't wanna write what would you do if A or B or C happens )

You do not have the dummy entries to take all the finesses you would like to take.
Without thinking too long I would bang down the trump ace followed by the diamond ace.
If no diamond honor appears I have no choice but continue establishing diamonds.
If I have two diamond losers I will probably end up taking both black suit finesses.
If they return a heart I will first have to establish diamonds to avoid getting forced.
If a diamond honor drops I play the trump king and if the queen of trumps is still outstanding I continue with diamonds.
If trumps are 4-1 I likely need the club finesse.
Otherwise if the trump queen appears I can draw trumps and play for overtricks.

Rainer Herrmann

[WesleyC]

MrAce, on 2012-December-06, 14:04, said:

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IMP pairs, uncontested auction after S opens 2NT, stayman and 4♠

Lead : ♥ T, Q, K and A ( T denies J )

What is your plan for first 3 tricks ? ( After that i will provide you what they played if you don't wanna write what would you do if A or B or C happens )

How about winning the lead, ruffing a heart and then playing a diamond to the 9?

[rhm]

WesleyC, on 2012-December-07, 20:16, said:

How about winning the lead, ruffing a heart and then playing a diamond to the 9?

Probably best, but not foolproof.
East could ruff the diamond return and return a club.
Now you have a very nasty guess what to do.
Cashing one round of trumps first as CamHenry suggests looks like an improvement.

Rainer Herrmann

[MrAce]

Can't you guys see a way to make this 4♠ when diamonds 3-1 KQ off side, 4-1 spade break and K of club off side ?

[rhm]

MrAce, on 2012-December-08, 11:36, said:

Can't you guys see a way to make this 4♠ when diamonds 3-1 KQ off side, 4-1 spade break and K of club off side ?

That is not the issue:

If the layout is

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You should ruff your heart and run the ♦J when East does not split. Continue diamonds! West can ruff but is end-played
If West returns a heart ruff in dummy (discard a club) and run the jack of trumps.

If the layout is

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You should ruff your heart and play the ♦J and put up the ace when East does not cover!
Best defense is for East to ruff partner's diamond trick and switch to clubs.
Declarer has then to guess the spade queen.
But I now see that cashing a trump early is not a good idea and leads to defeat on repeated heart leads when trumps split 4-1.

On the first layout West might lead his singleton and maybe he wouldn't. He has 4 trumps.
However, East will probably split in diamonds.
So the second layout is more likely when no diamond honor appears.

Rainer Herrmann

[MrAce]

rhm, on 2012-December-08, 14:32, said:

But I now see that cashing a trump early is not a good idea and leads to defeat on repeated heart leads when trumps split 4-1.

Rainer Herrmann

Yes, thats why i posted this hand. It requires to play trumps in a way that we give up on singleton Q but not lose control later when they split 4-1 by not touching them b4 establishing te ♦ suit.

Actual hand is your second layout Rainer.

[rhm]

MrAce, on 2012-December-09, 03:20, said:

Yes, thats why i posted this hand. It requires to play trumps in a way that we give up on singleton Q but not lose control later when they split 4-1 by not touching them b4 establishing te ♦ suit.

Actual hand is your second layout Rainer.

But as difficult a play is to put up the ♦A when the ♦J is not covered.
Granted the defense might go wrong if you run the ♦J to West.
But if West, who only feels end-played, returns a diamond and East ruffs and returns a club you are down.
If West can deduce from East diamond spot that East should have an odd number of diamonds this defense is not so far fetched.

Rainer Herrmann