[inquiry]

P-P-P-1♠
P-1N-P-2♦
P-2♠-P-2N
P-3N-All Pass

----W-N- E-S
T1. ♣7-5-2-8
T2. ♣A-K-6-3
T3. ♥A-4-7-3
T4. ♥9-Q-K-2
T5. -- -- -- ♣4

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West is first card shown on each trick, the winning card in bold.
Explain your plan to maximize your chances.
This may not be as interesting as I think it is. I posted once and deleted, but decided to post again. What do you think, anything to it?

[cherdano]

Well, I think the best line I could find qualifies as interesting.

I'll trust the heart 9, and that LHO can't have the diamond king -- most people open with 12 points including two aces and a king.

Win, discarding a spade. Cross to spade Ace, take the heart finesse, win 2nd heart, discarding a diamond. Cash remaing two spade winners in dummy, discarding a diamond. You are left with
♠ 6
♦ QT
opposite
♦ A8
♣ T
If spades are 3-3, you won. If RHO has four, you endplay him by exting with a spade and throwing the club from hand.
If LHO has four, you still make it if he also has the diamond jack. As he also has to keep the club jack, the diamond jack is singleton by now, so you can finesse against the king by leading the queen.

Is there anything better? Did I miss anything?

[inquiry]

Well done cherdano, This is very close to my actual line. You missed very vervy little (see PS).

I made one small adjustment, see how you like. First to state the obvioius, RHO has the ♦K. Why? West is a passed hand and has shown up with ♠J♥A♣AJ. That is a quick 10 hcp. Give him the ♦K as well, that is 13 hcp in third seat, and surely would have opened.

This is important clue, that calls for careful play, You are right about if WEST holds the ♦J. But it also works if he has the ♦9. For after ♦Q-K-A-9, you can exit low to the ♦T and win the ♦8 at the end. This is what I played for, but a little differently. I threw the ♦T from dummy keeping ♦Qx. The plan was if WEST showed up with 4♠'s on the line you choose, to lead the ♦Q and duck when covered. When ♦J or ♦9 falls from west, I have marked hook on forced ♦ return.

This line caters to ♠4-2 either way, and if ♠3-3, well you have 9 tricks with hoped for succesful ♥hook. It was the fact that pitching the ♦T on the third ♣ was not necessary that I deleted the post. Cause, in fact, the hand makes vie the simplier keep both ♦honors. Sadly, ♠3-3 all the time so discard a diamond (T or x) play was not necessary (but of course absolutely correct).

Well done.

Ben

PS. Now, if WEST's three ♦ where specifically the ♦J97, pitching the ♦T does gain a trick for you, so technically it probalby is the right play. The hand you are playing for with ♦T pitch... is

Hand where
♦T pitch
Works best

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