[H_KARLUK]

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What is the best chance of three tricks ?

[rogerclee]

Wrong forum.

[hanp]

lead the 6, to protect against a stiff 5 on your right.

[gszeszycki]

A74
QJ63
What is the best chance of three tricks ?

Nothing occurs in a vacuum---is there anything in the bidding or play that might
indicate HCP or distribution to be a certain way. IE E, a passed hand, has already shown up with 11 hcp and cannot have spade K. W/O any side information (and assuming there is no line of play that will help you gather the needed information) we try to IMAGINE what holding by the opponents will most likely yield the desired result.

Since we have no spots the only real hands we need to consider are where
W has Kx singleton K or any hand E has the K. A very quick glance will show any time the opps suit splits 33 our play makes no difference (as long as we avoid leading the Q or J and playing the A when the K has not appeared sigh)

we can very quickly count KT K9 K8 K7 K5 K2 as the only Kx cases for W (and K alone) just counting E for Kxxx we would get KT98 KT97 KT95 KT92 K987 K985 K982 K875 K872 K752. As you can see just giving E Kxxx the number of
holdings E has outnumbers Kx and K possibilites by W by 10-7 and there are many more possibilites with E holding 5-6 spades. We are forced to conclude the best chance is to play E for the spade K and the best method is to cash the spade A first (winning when W has singelton K) then leading toward the QJ twice. This is not a guaranteed LOP but it is the best % play. Sometimes the best % play will fail and just be happy you did the best you could.

[H_KARLUK]

If you need to score two tricks without losing the lead , you must of course lead the queen for a finesse. But this method of play will produce three tricks only when the suit breaks 3-3, no matter who has the king.

For the best chance of three tricks, lead low to the ace and then back towards your hand. If your jack wins the 2nd trick, cross to dummy in another suit and lead again towards your queen. This line of play brings in three tricks whenever East has the king, when West has the singleton king, and when suit breaks 3-3.

[Phil]

rogerclee, on Jun 23 2010, 12:10 AM, said:

Wrong forum.

Do we have a forum entitled "card combos for people that have played bridge for two hours".

Yet I see people misplay this. And not because they need two tricks without losing the lead.