[lalldonn]

I'm on my phone so I can't create a diagram but if someeone else wants to I appreciate it. Knockout match you hold jtxxx aq954 t9x ---. Both vul lho opens 1c, partner passes, rho bids 2d wjs. You double whether you like it or not and lho rebids 3c. Partner doubles ending the auction. Partner leads the 3 of hearts and dummy comes down xx jt76 qjxxxx x. Declarer plays the jack. If you win the ace declarer plays the 8. How do you defend?

[Fluffy]

lalldonn, on 2013-January-26, 03:24, said:

I'm on my phone so I can't create a diagram but if someeone else wants to I appreciate it. Knockout match you hold jtxxx aq954 t9x ---. Both vul lho opens 1c, partner passes, rho bids 2d wjs. You double whether you like it or not and lho rebids 3c. Partner doubles ending the auction. Partner leads the 3 of hearts and dummy comes down xx jt76 qjxxxx x. Declarer plays the jack. If you win the ace declarer plays the 8. How do you defend?

---

3♥-♥J-??; ♥A->♥8

[Fluffy]

if partner leads the 2 from 832 I would play ♥Q because partner is surelly 3235, with 4 diamonds he would lead ♦A before singleton.

[the_clown]

I would play a low ♠. This is my only chance to play something through. I expect partner to be endplayed at least once in the defence.

[TWO4BRIDGE]

Fluffy, on 2013-January-26, 03:59, said:

if partner ( normwally ) leads the 2 from 832, I would play ♥Q because partner is surelly 3235, with 4 diamonds he would lead ♦A before singleton.

Why return the ♥Q ?
Just play a lower one.... This will prevent Declarer from later scoring the ♥ 10 , if he started with three ♥ ( concealing the ♥2 ) .
If he plays low too on the return.... partner will ruff .

If Declarer started with K 8 doubleton, he is getting that K anyway.

EDIT: I'm not sure a ♥ return is best anyway . I kinda like clown's ♠-shift .

[Zelandakh]

TWO4BRIDGE, on 2013-January-26, 09:02, said:

Why return the ♥Q ?

I think Fluffy meant that he would play the Queen on the first trick rather than the Ace. I just know that in real life I would take the Ace and return the ♠J without thinking at all. Since that is the normal Intermediate play (and this is a forum hand in the Expert Forum), Fluffy's line is probably correct.

[wank]

i'd win ace and return a low diamond - give diamond count and partner can play a trump if his holding is leadable, before declarer scores a spade ruff in dummy. if declarer has akx(x) of spades this has to be done immediately.

[aguahombre]

Zelandakh, on 2013-January-26, 09:44, said:

I think Fluffy meant that he would play the Queen on the first trick rather than the Ace. I just know that in real life I would take the Ace and return the ♠J without thinking at all. Since that is the normal Intermediate play (and this is a forum hand in the Expert Forum), Fluffy's line is probably correct.

wank, on 2013-January-26, 10:04, said:

i'd win ace and return a low diamond - give diamond count and partner can play a trump if his holding is leadable, before declarer scores a spade ruff in dummy. if declarer has akx(x) of spades this has to be done immediately.

IMO, Fluffy's line is expert; but, Wank's is experter.

[mikeh]

I understand why one would hate defence, on this hand. I don't see any clearly 'right' answer. I assume competent opps, because it's a KO in which josh is playing, so the 8 from declarer is a mandatory card from K82 or K8. There no inference here. Leading a heart back may still be right even if declarer has the K82: maybe the low ruff is what partner needs.

But, and this seems to me to be a big 'but', partner is going to be endplayed most of the time should he hold a stiff heart, and meanwhile we allow declarer to make our partner ruff a card that may be a loser on other defences.

A diamond back may be needed if partner has Kx, but he'll probably score that eventually anyway.

I'm not going to lead the diamond in the hope that it allows partner to kill a spade ruff: it isn't impossible that that is necessary, but partner will often be losing a trump trick even if he works out that it is best defence.

So by elimination, I lead a spade, but which one?

I think low. If partner has the 9, we are usually going to be ok. If declarer has the 9, along with HH, then we hope that he gets it wrong, and there aren't a lot of such holdings where the J works anyway. Maybe he has AQ9 and decides his best play is the Q, intending to then play A and a ruff.

[Fluffy]

wank, on 2013-January-26, 10:04, said:

i'd win ace and return a low diamond - give diamond count and partner can play a trump if his holding is leadable, before declarer scores a spade ruff in dummy. if declarer has akx(x) of spades this has to be done immediately.

You are imagining a hand where declarer has 4 spades, I have a lot of trouble imagining a 3♣ bid with 6-1 minors. 3 spades is certainly possible though.



I now think ♥Q is probably too risky, partner could be singleton and that would really suck, I can picture declarer pitching hearts on diamonds after endplaying partner two or 3 times. the risk/reward is far from even for the ♥Q play.

[MrAce]

I would play the Q on ♥J

It is too early to commit and put my all eggs in one basket at trick one, even if pd has a stiff ♥ i may be able to score 2 hearts later. This also keeps communication open in defense. It seems to me the most flexible and recoverable move at this point.

[aguahombre]

Does an expert sometimes choose a normal intermediate play which works, in theory or in a forum? "In practice" doesn't count

[mikeh]

So what was the actual layout?

[aguahombre]

aguahombre, on 2013-January-26, 13:00, said:

Does an expert sometimes choose a normal intermediate play which works, in theory or in a forum? "In practice" doesn't count

mikeh, on 2013-January-28, 12:23, said:

So what was the actual layout?

[lamford]

It is quite possible West is void in diamonds, in which case we can probably give partner a heart ruff, and he may be able to exit with a trump safely, stopping the spade ruff in dummy. Give partner Qxx x AKxx KJxxx and the heart ruff is the only defence. West would have a normal pull to 3C with 3-3-0-7, and partner has his penalty double. Note that partner has done well to avoid leading a top diamond, fatally.

[lalldonn]

mikeh, on 2013-January-28, 12:23, said:

So what was the actual layout?

You wouldn't believe me if I told you

[PhilKing]

lalldonn, on 2013-January-31, 19:13, said:

You wouldn't believe me if I told you

Make up a hand we will believe, then.

[lalldonn]

Declarer mustered all his courage to rebid 3♣ with Kx Kx K AKQxxxxx

[PhilKing]

lalldonn, on 2013-January-31, 19:28, said:

Declarer mustered all his courage to rebid 3♣ with Kx Kx K AKQxxxxx

Is it too late to bid 4♠?

[lalldonn]

It was almost a week ago, so I suspect it's too late...