[lowerline]

zenbiddist, on 2014-April-08, 05:30, said:

4♥ South, ♠Q led (IMPs)

♠982
♥A62
♦Q6
♣AQ853

♠AK54
♥K8743
♦T5
♣K7

How would you play this? What suggested your line of play?
A strong player disliked my line and so now I'm curious about the hand.

♠A ♣KA ♣ruffed; duck a heart if still on lead

This wins with clubs 4-2 or 3-3 & hearts 3-2 (3 hearts must be with 2 clubs)

S.

[nige1]

lowerline, on 2014-November-06, 07:29, said:

♠A ♣KA ♣ruffed; duck a heart if still on lead. This wins with clubs 4-2 or 3-3 & hearts 3-2 (3 hearts must be with 2 clubs)

LHO might over-ruff the 3rd ♣ . Then defenders cash ♦AK leaving RHO on lead, to lead a 4th ♣, promoting another trump trick.
Hanoi5's line (♠A, ♥K, ♣KAQ, discarding a ♦) avoids this fate because -- as Rainer points out -- you can then discard a ♠ loser, when RHO leads a 4th ♣.

If ♣ turn out to be 3-3, you can cash ♥A to make an overtrick when ♥ are 3-2 -- and that is probably the best MP play. At IMPs, however, you should guarantee the contract, even against a 4-1 ♥ break, by continuing with a 4th round of ♣, discarding your last ♦, preserving ♥A as an entry to dummy's 5th ♣.