[lamford]

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Teams. 32-board match.

Another interesting hand from today's Chairman's Cup. Your partner leads the ten of diamonds, and declarer wins with the king and plays a spade to partner's king and dummy's ace. After some thought, declarer plays the ace, king and queen of hearts. Plan the defence.

[rhm]

deleted

[rhm]

lamford, on 2014-July-28, 16:40, said:

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Teams. 32-board match.

Another interesting hand from today's Chairman's Cup. Your partner leads the ten of diamonds, and declarer wins with the king and plays a spade to partner's king and dummy's ace. After some thought, declarer plays the ace, king and queen of hearts. Plan the defence.

If declarer followed to 2 rounds of hearts I guess my partner will have given count.
If an odd number ruff and take your 4 tricks.

More likely partner will show an even number, holding four hearts.
Discard diamonds. (Is this really tough?)
It looks like declarer misplayed and should have ruffed a small heart instead of playing the queen.

Rainer Herrmann

[jogs]

Partner has the ♦Q, else we aren't beating this hand.
Play LHO for ♦K and ♣QJ.
Ruff the ♥Q with the ♠5.

Case 1. LHO has
♠ 10762
♥ xxx
6 minor cards.

trk 4: ruff the heart.
cash two high spades and the ♣A.
Down 1.

Case 2. LHO has
♠ 10762
♥ xx
7 minor cards.

trk 4: ♠5, LHO overruffs.
trk 5: small diamond to ♦A.
trk 6: small heart, pitch the ♣6. LHO ruffs.
Declarer has no easy entry back to dummy.
If LHO plays a club, win it. Cash the high spades
and give partner his high diamond.
If LHO plays a diamond, partner wins. He should
know you need the ♣A to beat this hand.

[rhm]

jogs, on 2014-July-29, 08:28, said:

Partner has the ♦Q, else we aren't beating this hand.

Your line does not beat the hand.
My line does if declarer has the ♦Q.

Rainer Herrmann

[lamford]

rhm, on 2014-July-29, 03:57, said:

If declarer followed to 2 rounds of hearts I guess my partner will have given count.
If an odd number ruff and take your 4 tricks.

More likely partner will show an even number, holding four hearts.
Discard diamonds. (Is this really tough?)
It looks like declarer misplayed and should have ruffed a small heart instead of playing the queen.

Rainer Herrmann

No I could not make it in theory after I failed to find the scissors coup at trick two of ducking a club, although South did ruff the top heart and I was home. And the opening leader, who had ♠ K ♥ J9xx ♦ xxxx ♣ Q9xx, fluffed his lines, as PhilKing would say, by not finding the lead of the stiff king of spades at trick one, the only antidote to the scissors coup, as that would allow the defence to play four rounds of trumps. And I am sorry we troubled you, Rainer, with this trivial problem.

[rhm]

lamford, on 2014-July-29, 15:34, said:

No I could not make it in theory after I failed to find the scissors coup at trick two of ducking a club, although South did ruff the top heart and I was home. And the opening leader, who had ♠ K ♥ J9xx ♦ xxxx ♣ Q9xx, fluffed his lines, as PhilKing would say, by not finding the lead of the stiff king of spades at trick one, the only antidote to the scissors coup, as that would allow the defence to play four rounds of trumps. And I am sorry we troubled you, Rainer, with this trivial problem.

Your deals are interesting.
I only think this one is a tough declarer problem, not so much one for the defense.
But I can understand why you did not post it as a declarer problem.
It is anything but clear what declarer should play at trick 2.

Rainer Herrmann