[jillybean]

Scoring: IMP

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West North East South

 -     -     -     1♦
 2♣    2♦    4♣    4♥
 Pass  5♦    Pass  Pass
 Dbl   Pass  Pass  Pass
 


Hi,
Trick1 ♣A425, followed by ♣6K3

What is your discard and why?

tyia
jb

[han]

Good puzzle! (and a painful auction)

[Wackojack]

Is this really a beginner's question? Looks like the heart finesse won't be right because of west's double, thinking 3 certain tricks- 2 aces and king of hearts. To make with the finesse wrong, it looks like you must play for west to have doubleton ace in spades. Then you must discard a heart from hand, ruff a club and lead a low spade towards the jack. West ducks, then try 2 rounds of trumps and lead another spade, west taking with the ace. Hopefully west doesn't have a trump left and has to lead a club for ruff/discard or a heart for the contract. It doesn't look that likely to work but then the heart finesse doesn't either. I must be missing something.

[SoTired]

it IS an intermediate question. in order to make, you have to not lose any hearts or not lose any spades.

Neither the 4th spade nor the 4th heart are losers. You can't pitch 2 spades on the 4th heart, but you can pitch 2 hearts on the 3rd and 4th spades. So the 4th spade may be useful, but not the 4th heart.

So pitch a heart.

So how do you make? It looks like you need the heart finesse. But there is a slight extra chance. If West has precisely ♠Ax, you can lead a small spade toward the jack. West must duck, otherwise you get 3 spade tricks and can discard both heart losers. After winning the ♠J, duck a spade. This won't hurt you, but if West has ♠Ax, you get to pitch both hearts in dummy and don't have to take the heart finesse. If this does not work, you have to decide whether to play East for the ♥K, or play West for the stiff ♥K. You will play the spades and clubs and diam first to help make that decision.

[Wackojack]

Yes, but if you are playing West for Ax in spades for 2 heart discards, you must play low to the 2nd spade. If west has a few spades to the ace you have lost 3 tricks before you have the chance to take the heart finesse. Its either or.

[Walddk]

This is very tough, and perhaps too tough in this forum (no offence intended). ♥K rates to be with West, but so does ♠A, and that gives you an additional chance if West has ♠A singleton or doubleton.

Win ♣K and discard a heart (spade pitch can never help). Ruff a club and lead a spade towards dummy. If West has the stiff ace, your worries are over. If he follows small and the jack holds, draw trumps and play a low spade from both hands.

West wins perforce we hope, and now we have set up two spades for heart pitches.

Finally, if this does not work, we shall have to rely on the heart finesse.

Roland

[Mcauley]

Wouldnt ruffing a ♣ at 2nd trick, then playing a small ♠ towards dummy before pulling the trumps be a better line?

[Wackojack]

Yes I see now. You can always fall back on heart finesse if west does not have doubleton ace of spades. Good problem, but agreed very tough for this forum.

[jillybean]

Thanks for the replies, Im trying to think a little more before I play.
I discard a ♠ here (not) thinking it would give me a ruff

I’m not sure if this fits best in the B/I or I/A forums but if I mix it up a little I should please some of the people some of the time

[Winstonm]

Walddk, on May 28 2007, 11:26 AM, said:

This is very tough, and perhaps too tough in this forum (no offence intended). ♥K rates to be with West, but so does ♠A, and that gives you an additional chance if West has ♠A singleton or doubleton.

Win ♣K and discard a heart (spade pitch can never help). Ruff a club and lead a spade towards dummy. If West has the stiff ace, your worries are over. If he follows small and the jack holds, draw trumps and play a low spade from both hands.

West wins perforce we hope, and now we have set up two spades for heart pitches.

Finally, if this does not work, we shall have to rely on the heart finesse.

Roland

Actually, it is even tougher. If West has 3325 or 3316 with the spade ace but no heart king, a lead toward the spade jack forces a duck, and then repeated heart finesses disposes of the losing spade.

The key issue here is not to take any pitch, but to play low on the second club and ruff in hand - any pitch is premature. Ruff, then lead a spade toward the jack, which brings home the contract of LHO hold singleton spade A or rises from Ax. If the jack holds, it then is probably critical what spot card LHO played to guess whether to play for Ax or for 3/3 hearts with the king onside or to try for an endplay.

Probably the best overall plan is to play low on the second club and ruff, then lead a low spade to the Jack, then, unless LHO followed with the 9 or 10, take a spade pitch on the club King, draw two rounds of trumps, and then lead a high spade. If LHO is 2425, 2326, or 2416, he is endplayed. If he has either a spade or diamond exit, entries are sufficient to fall back on the heart finesse. If LHO follows with the 9 or 10 on the first spade, pitch a heart on the club king and duck a spade back.