[Cyberyeti]

IMPs, final round swiss teams, you're in second place, playing the leaders who are 4 ahead of you, with plenty of other teams 4-10 behind you.

I don't have the auction as this was at team mates table, assume opps silent, we had our chances on other boards which I've posted elsewhere.

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Play 4♠ from S on the lead of the J♦ (Standard UK honour leads, Jx/J almost certainly)

[WesleyC]

My first instinct was to win the ♦K and play 3 rounds of spades. Based on the lead, 3/3 spades (with LHO holding Jxx or xxx) seems more likely than usual and it would be sad to go down when LHO holds a hand like [Jxx xxxx J xxxxx].

But after thinking a bit longer, I think ♦K and a small club towards your hand is a fair bit better. It's not trivial for RHO to go in with the ♣A, especially from holdings like ♣AJT7 or ♣AT9 and if he fails to do so, you're in excellent shape. Even if the club loses AND the opponents get a ruff it could easily be giving up a natural trump trick (e.g LHO holds ♠87xx, ♠J8xx, ♠Jx).

[rhm]

I would certainly win with the ♦K and play a club from dummy.
(The alternative is not trumps but taking the diamond finesse before exiting with the ♣K since you are short of entries to the table)
The basic plan is to loose 2 spade tricks and avoid the heart guess.
For this to work you will try to establish the fifth club for two heart discards.
Of course you do not have the entries for 2 club ruffs, but the opponents will have to lead something which will be beneficial to you.
I think a diamond ruff will help. It is unlikely that East is long in diamonds and spades.
In the end West will have only major suit cards and may get end-played when you exit later with a trump.

Rainer Herrmann

[Cyberyeti]

If you play K♦ and a club

Spoiler

W wins the K with the A and plays another diamond

[rhm]

Cyberyeti, on 2015-March-31, 03:28, said:

If you play K♦ and a club

Spoiler

W wins the K with the A and plays another diamond

Pursuing my plan.
♠A,K
♣Q, ♣ ruff.

If clubs break:
♥K club ruff.
If West overruffs he is endplayed. If not cash the diamond ace. If West ruffs he is endplayed again.
If not, you have 10 tricks, 4 trumps , 3 diamonds, 2 hearts and one club.

If West has 5 clubs you will probably need the heart finesse.

Rainer Herrmann

[Cyberyeti]

rhm, on 2015-March-31, 03:41, said:

Pursuing my plan.
♠A,K
♣Q, ♣ruff.

If clubs break:
♥K club ruff.
spade, hoping to endplay West.
If East can win the third trump and spades are 3-3, you still make if West has the ♥Q, which is with the odds.
If West has 5 clubs, heart finesse.

Rainer Herrmann

Spoiler

When you cash Q♣, E discards a diamond

[rhm]

Cyberyeti, on 2015-March-31, 03:48, said:

Spoiler

When you cash Q♣, E discards a diamond

So East has singleton club and 5 diamonds, while West has 6 clubs and 2 diamonds.
Ruff a club and cash your diamond.
West can ruff and play a club which you ruff, in which case you play ace of heart, heart to the king to ruff the fifth club en passant.
If West cashes another spade you know Hearts are 5-1 with East having 5.
If West does not ruff same procedure.

Rainer Herrmann

[Cyberyeti]

rhm, on 2015-March-31, 04:13, said:

So East has singleton club and 5 diamonds, while West has 6 clubs and 2 diamonds.
Ruff a club and cash your diamond.
West can ruff and play a club which you ruff, in which case you play ace of heart, heart to the king to ruff the fifth club en passant.
If West cashes another spade you know Hearts are 5-1 with East having 5.
If WEst does not ruff same procedure.

Rainer Herrmann

I should have added, the J♠ drops from W on the second trump and he doesn't ruff the third diamond.

Basically you've played the line I think should be played, but I was trying to check this out with people that didn't already know the opposing hands.

Unfortunately I think our declarer played 3 rounds of spades then hooked the heart the wrong way and went down, they were in 3N= at our table so this was expensive and cost us the event, although to be fair to team mates, it was about the only thing they got wrong all day.

E has Q8xx, Qxx, Qxxxx, x