[cherdano]

Scoring: IMP

1♦-(P)-1♥-(2♣)
2♥-(X)-3♥-(4♣)
AP

---

If it wasn't for you, this would be a "genuine expert table" (according to another post).
You lead ♠A (agree?), and it goes A-4-2-9.

Your play to trick 2?

You are playing udca.

[temp3600]

♣A and a club.
I think partner is very unlikely to be singleton in spades : that would give him a lot of hearts and diamonds, and he probably would've gone farther than 3♥. Also, South with three spades might have bid spades after his partner's X. He knows North has a weak hand, and so is probably showing a 5-card spade suit.
<edit>If South started with the doubleton ♠Q, I take it and play him for a heart void.</edit>

[Fluffy]

♥, it is about time we play our suit

[mikeh]

I think this is a bit of a guess (brilliant statement, eh?)

We can play for declarer to have 3♠s, in which case three rounds of that suit leads to an easy set. Or we can try to destroy dummy's ability to ruff ♦s... give declarer Qx void AKxx KQ9xxxx... lead the A and a ♣, allow declarer a pitch on the ♥A and we still get 4 tricks.

I am not persuaded that declarer denied Qxx in ♠s by 4♣. With 3=0=3=7 shape, I'm bidding 4♣ not 3♠.

But what about partner? He went awfully quietly if he is 1=5=5=2.. after all, I did open 1♦ so he'd expect a better double fit than we have. If we give him the KQJxx in ♥s, he can't have much in ♦s to be bidding 3♥ (non-progressive) or to be passing 4♣.

So I suspect he is 2=5=4=2 and the switch to the A and a ♣ is the superior play. I hope to find declarer with Qx void AKxx KQ9xxxx and partner with xx KQJxx QJ10x xx.

[pclayton]

Pard can hold 2, 62, Q2 or Q62 of spades. Only with the 1st holding do I want to continue spades.

Pard needs 5 hearts for the reraise, and declarer probably has 7 clubs for the 4 club call.

So declarer's most likely shapes are 2=0=4=7, 2=0=5=6, or 1=0=5=7.

Less likely, but possible are 3=0=3=7 (that gives pard 5-5 in the reds...), 2=1=4=6 (pard reraised on 4?), 3=1=3=6 (probably a 3♠ preference here).

Its possible the ♠ can dissappear on the A♥, but a ♦ loser can be sluffed anyway.

I'll try A♣, ♣.

[cherdano]

If you play ♣A, ♣, declarer wins in hand and leads the ♠Q.

[pclayton]

cherdano, on Mar 12 2007, 07:56 AM, said:

If you play ♣A, ♣, declarer wins in hand and leads the ♠Q.

Does pard hi-lo in trumps (to show 3)?

Odd; declarer didn't leave the lead in dummy to cash the ♥A, so I'm placing pard with 4.

If pard hi-lo's in trump, I will win and play a heart. Pard can neutralize the spade by ruffing.

If pard lo-hi's in trump, I can count 6 clubs, 1 heart, and one diamond (somehow). If I win the spade, I need pard to hold ♦AK (impossible), so I need to duck the spade.