[FrancesHinden]

Auction 1NT P P P at matchpoints (so you want to make max tricks).

Scoring: MP

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Low heart lead to the king and your ace.
How do you play the club suit?

[Free]

It's MP, cash AK...

[Apollo81]

I don't see any reason not to play for clubs 2-2.

Cashing the ♣K first is slightly better than cashing the ♣A first, as I can never get 5 tricks from this suit when RHO has all four clubs.

[hrothgar]

I'm leading the 8 of clubs.

If this gets covered, wonderful. If not, going to rise with Ace and run the Jack back in the other direction.

[Fluffy]

Club king because you cannot catch RHO with 4 clubs, but you can catch lefty

[FrancesHinden]

hrothgar, on Feb 26 2007, 02:38 PM, said:

I'm leading the 8 of clubs.

If this gets covered, wonderful. If not, going to rise with Ace and run the Jack back in the other direction.

Why?

[mikegill]

I think the rule I remember reading is that if you know 2 more of one opponent's cards than the other, finessing becomes slightly percentage. So, unless the heart spots clearly indicate that LHO has 5+ and RHO has 3-, play for drop.

[Fluffy]

I didn't even think of that, I need to play against better players more often


Now ot another issue, there are many players for whoom playing club queen is not obvious, but it is a possible play, do you think it is ethical to wait for them to have the time to think of that play before you make it?

[hrothgar]

FrancesHinden, on Feb 26 2007, 05:51 PM, said:

hrothgar, on Feb 26 2007, 02:38 PM, said:

I'm leading the 8 of clubs. 

If this gets covered, wonderful.  If not, going to rise with Ace and run the Jack back in the other direction.

Why?

As I recall, Zia wrote a Bols bridge tip titled something vaguely like "If they don't cover the honor, they don't have the honor". Hey was stressing that its important to recognize that most players don't play perfectly. In many cases, it can be more profitable to take a technically inferior line that provides the opponents with the opportunity to do something silly.

Even if LHO shouldn't cover the 8 of clubs with the Queen enough of them will to shift the odds in favor of the two way finesse. I admit, that I have some concerns about this strategy with this specific layout because the 8 of clubs is a relatively low card. The types of folks that would make this mistake might not recognize that the 8 is equivalent to the Jack in this case. I'd feel much more comfortable with this plan if the club suit was

AT98x

opposite

KJxx

[FrancesHinden]

Jlall, on Feb 26 2007, 02:56 PM, said:

lol...once I put up the Q with dummy having AJT9x and no entry and my partner had stiff K...wd.. but this play happens a lot if your opps have a clue.

Actually this suit combination came up in a teams match, but I couldn't remember the rest of the hand or how many tricks declarer actually had, although I know the dummy...

---

At both tables declarer played low towards dummy and West put the queen in. Just another flat board!

If an expert LHO does not play the queen you should finesse against their partner.

Funny, I've known to insert an honour in second seat for years, guarding against two low in declarer's hand, but I've only just realised what that means for when you have to play the suit on this sort of blind auction...

[hrothgar]

FrancesHinden, on Feb 26 2007, 06:48 PM, said:

Jlall, on Feb 26 2007, 02:56 PM, said:

lol...once I put up the Q with dummy having AJT9x and no entry and my partner had stiff K...wd.. but this play happens a lot if your opps have a clue.

Actually this suit combination came up in a teams match, but I couldn't remember the rest of the hand or how many tricks declarer actually had, although I know the dummy...

---

At both tables declarer played low towards dummy and West put the queen in. Just another flat board!

If an expert LHO does not play the queen you should finesse against their partner.

Funny, I've known to insert an honour in second seat for years, guarding against two low in declarer's hand, but I've only just realised what that means for when you have to play the suit on this sort of blind auction...

Looks like my "solution" is proof of the old adage that even a blind pig will (occasionally) find an acorn...

[Halo]

I need LHO to play Q from Qx about one third of the time for the finesse against RHO to be a winner.

[Posted while Frances posted the result on this hand.]

[pclayton]

FrancesHinden, on Feb 26 2007, 07:48 AM, said:

Jlall, on Feb 26 2007, 02:56 PM, said:

lol...once I put up the Q with dummy having AJT9x and no entry and my partner had stiff K...wd.. but this play happens a lot if your opps have a clue.

Actually this suit combination came up in a teams match, but I couldn't remember the rest of the hand or how many tricks declarer actually had, although I know the dummy...

---

At both tables declarer played low towards dummy and West put the queen in. Just another flat board!

If an expert LHO does not play the queen you should finesse against their partner.

Funny, I've known to insert an honour in second seat for years, guarding against two low in declarer's hand, but I've only just realised what that means for when you have to play the suit on this sort of blind auction...

Seems this was one of card combos in a certain article in the January BW.