[inquiry]

Another Beginner/intermediate problem although more challenging than Good Idea 1-3.

IMPS
VUL: Both
DEAL NORTH

S-532          NORTH  EAST SOUTH  WEST
H-KT3                    PASS   1C   2D     2S  
D-AK                      4D    4S   5D     PASS
C-J9853             PASS    X   end

S-void 
H-J853
D-JT98765 
C-AQ

Contract: 5Dx
Opening lead SPADE-ACE, East plays the SPADE-JACK (normal signals).
Plan your play.

[Rain]

Quote

Another Beginner/intermediate problem although more challenging than Good Idea 1-3.  

IMPS
VUL: Both
DEAL NORTH

S-532          NORTH  EAST SOUTH  WEST
H-KT3                    PASS   1C   2D     2S  
D-AK                      4D    4S   5D     PASS
C-J9853             PASS    X   end
 
S-void
H-J853
D-JT98765
C-AQ

Contract: 5Dx
Opening lead SPADE-ACE, East plays the SPADE-JACK (normal signals).
Plan your play.

Hi  This one looks harder, hehe, but as dennis the menace will say, I'll have a shove at it!

I can only think of how to make it with a 2-2 diamond break, and 3-3 club break.  (or 2-4, but 10C doubleton) So perhaps this isn't a good line.  

I ruff AS.  Then I lay down AC.  Then play QC, because I place E with KC.  If he takes the queen, I ruff his spade return, and draw trumps in 2 rounds, and the 3 established clubs make good discards for hearts.  If clubs don't break well, I return to hand with a spade ruff, and guess hearts.

Hope others come up with cooler lines!
Rain

[Simpleboi]

Hello...
just trying out this problem...

ruff the opening lead
small to AD
ruff spade
small to KD
if trumps break
ruff last spade
then small to AC QC
if east takes KC and he has 3 spades then endplayed
to giving u the 11th trick
if east ducks KC then play on hearts losing at most to AQ hearts
if trumps didnt break dun ruff 3rd spade...finesse clubs...then finesse hearts for QH west AH east
lose onli to AH and QD

think my solution not perfect

[inquiry]

JStroke got this one right in an IM message. I should just post his reply, it was very good. previous answers provide some very nice, short descriptions of reasonable lines of play. I am particulary fond of Rain's creative cash CLUB ACE and Throw EAST in with CLUB QUEEN. Upon reflection, this might not be a good beginner problem, because so many lines are possible. Below is somethings you might want to think about on this hand, and the line I played (maybe someone can point out a statistically superior line    

IMPS
VUL: Both
DEAL NORTH

S-532          NORTH  EAST SOUTH  WEST
H-KT3                    PASS   1C   2D     2S  
D-AK                      4D    4S   5D     PASS
C-J9853             PASS    X   end
 
S-void
H-J853
D-JT98765
C-AQ

Contract: 5Dx
Opening lead SPADE-ACE, East plays the SPADE-JACK (normal signals).
Plan your play.

First, unlike the my first two "good idea" post, where the problem revolved around solving a problem in one suit, this hand requires you to think about three suits, and plan your play to give you the best chance to make. Before we try to decide which of several lines of play might be best, let's examine the auction for a second. One thing to do is try to figure out how the enemy assets are split. Let's start with a simple Question.

1) How many HCP do the opponents hold? There are 40 total, you and your partner have 19hcp, so the opponents have 21. They did a lot of bidding with only 21 hcp (but not as much as you did with 19) D:)

2) How are the Spade honors split? East's Spade JACK signal looks like a strong "come-on". If East held SKQJ(x), the signal would be a dramatic S-KING, not the JACK. If EAST had the SPADE QJx(x), the signal would be the QUEEN not the JACK. So it seems that East has the SPADE-KJx(x) and West AQxxxx(x). In all these examples, (x)=1 or more additional Spades. Since East didn't open 1S, it's reasonable to plan on him having at most 4 SPADES, since he probably would open 1S with five of them (But realize East might be 5-5 in the black suits, or have 6 CLUBS and 5 SPADES).

3) Can you make the hand if WEST has the CLUB-KING? No. If West has the CLUB-KING, then EAST MUST have the HEART-AQ, and you will lose 2H + 1C, and maybe the DIAMOND QUEEN too. So you have to assume that EAST hasthe CLUB KING.

Rain Found a clever way to to make if clubs are 3-3 and diamonds are 2-2 by sacraficing a club trick by leading out the Club ACE then CLUB-QUEEN, and have EAST win the king. Now she pulls trumps and runs CLUBS. East might, however, refuse to win the KING, but then her line will revert to the correct one I show. Unfortuanetly her line fails if Clubs are 4-2 without the doubleton TEN. Also, if EAST has 3 CLubs, 4S, and 2 Diamonds how many hcp will he have? With a balanced distribution like that, less than 15 in standard american. So West must have one of the red queens!!

The hands were the following....
IMPS
VUL: Both
DEAL NORTH
          S-532        
          H-KT3
          D-AK
          C-J9853            
S-AQTxxx              S-KJxx
H-Qxx                 H-A9x
D-x                   D-Qxx
H-xxx                 C-KTx
 
         S-void
         H-J853
         D-JT98765
         C-AQ


Here is the winning line.

Ruff the lead, play a Diamond to dummy and hook the club. Assuming you haven't seen the DIAMOND QUEEN or the CLUB KING, cash the club ACE, and lead another Diamond to dummy. Now in dummy, if diamonds are 2-2 with EAST having the DQ and clubs are 3-3, you actually make an overtrick, because surely the HEART QUEEN will be with WEST. Ruff out the club and lead a low HEART to the TEN, losing just a heart. But WEST shows out on the second diamond, so that east has three diamonds to the Q. At this point, East is most likely 4-3-3-3 or 4-2-3-4, although 2-3-4-4 is not totatly impossible with S-KJ doubleton. But the one thing you know, WEST will have the heart queen now for sure.

BTW, it is almost sure that West is short in Diamonds. The reason is that EAST didn't open 1H, so at most 4. So West has the 6 hearts we think he has, and he must have at least two hearts, if he had 3 diamonds he would have at most 2 clubs, and if he had 4 hearts, only one clubs. That would have to be a more attractive lead than the SPADE ACE I think, in the hopes of getting a club ruff.

This general line also works if WEST's has 6-2-3-2 distribution also, assuming west has both red suit queens, a very unlikley hand given the double by EAST. What if one of the opponents are void in diamonds? Hey, good sacrafice!!!

BTW, it is almost sure that West is short in Diamonds. The reason is that EAST didn't open 1H, so at most 4. So West has the 6 hearts we think he has, and he must have at least two hearts, if he had 3 diamonds he would have at most 2 clubs, and if he had 4 hearts, only one clubs. That would have to be a more attractive lead than the SPADE ACE I think, in the hopes of getting a club ruff.

[Rain]

Hehe, I see.

So this line requires only that clubs be 3-3, and heart honours split, AH with east, which is highly likely given the bidding.



Thanks Inquiry and Jstroke.  This is great, more please?  

Rain

[inquiry]

Hi...

Clubs don't have to be 3-3 for this line to work, but of course it helps. For instance, this line works if West has the unlikely 3D to Q and 2 hearts to the Q (club hook still on).

Or if diamonds are 2-2, clubs are 4-2, and hearts are 3-3 (regardless who has the heart queen). It even works if West has four Diamonds and EAST has five clubs, again, if West has the H-Qx doubleton.

I think sylvain has one to post so I will wait too see so as not to have too many posted at one time,