[han]

The following problem might be of interest to psychologists and poets, but it could also be that I am seeing ghosts and this is really not interesting.

Scoring: IMP

Defending against
1NT - 6NT

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Partner leads the jack of spades (standard honor leads), dummy wins and you follow suit. Declarer calls for a diamond from dummy (you playing low) wins with the ace and plays a small diamond from hand, partner pitching a spade showing even remaining count.

After winning the diamond, what do you return when you are

1) Versace defending against Meckstroth.

2) Hannie defending against jchiu.

3) Yourself defending against a weak club player.

(please don't take offense because of the order Versace-Hannie-Yourself, the declarers are in order of strength, not the defenders)

[ArtK78]

I would guess that the best return would be a spade, attacking declarer's lines of communication between the two hands. Playing a diamond may present partner with a problem discard. Declarer can do that himself, but he will be further severing his communication links to do so.

I don't see the psychological problem here. Against a weak club player, anything might work.

I await further developments.

[Apollo81]

Spade probably ups the chance of partner being played for the ♣Q a little bit.

[han]

To focus on the psychological aspect I will give declarer's hand: Qxx Qxx AK7 A109x.

[inquiry]

Partner might have the heart JACK, that is it, as between dummy and you and the spade jack partner has already shown, own 16 hcp remain out. If partner has a queen, then declarer has at most 14 ( i am assuming 15-17 1NT). PArtner rates to have 5+♠ for the spade discard. We can count 2D, 3S, 3H, 2C for declarer. IF he has 4♥ an 11th trick shows up if he has the heart JACK. If he lacks the heart jack, and has no more than 4♥, he will have to turn to clubs for TWO extra tricks.

I am going to return an un-ingenous diamond. The reason is not psychological, it is based upon bridge logic. I don't know where the club TEN is, but if declarer has it, we are in some trouble if declarer has 4♣'s -- assuming the club "x's" are truely small. Declarer knows about our 5 diamonds. Should he win AKQ in both majors, we will show out in each giving our full distribution (2-2-5-4). Such a discovery play will give declarer the easy option (percentage play) to play us for the club queen should he have, say AT8x or AT9x (2-1 odds we have the queen).

Can he play the same way if we return a diamond? He could, but it removes removes his freedom to try both majors and benefit from a discovery play should PARTNER turn out to have the long clubs. Let's imagine the following hand....

Scoring: IMP

As you can see if you cash all the majors AFTER the diamond return, there is no re-entry to WEST to take the 13th club after two rounds of club finesse. Thus, there is little "logic" to the full discovery play. However, on the actual likely layout, a careful declarer might believe partners spade discard show five or more and cash three rounds of hearts EVEN after a diamond return and guess the correct distribution when you show out of hearts. A heart discard by partner might have been more tricky (anyone ever read the BW article about the "idle fifth", but anyway, I think a diamond back is best on theoretical grounds.

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So ♦ back, the hell with psychology. Without a diamond, declarer should have a cake walk to 12 tricks when he has clubs to the TEN.

(I guess you could argue to return high heart showing two to allow him to get count on hand so that you would be tellign him you have 4♣, which you might do as a double cross when holding xxxx of clubs, but most will still go with the odds, should they discover the distribution).

[kfay]

Familiar with this hand. While I agree with the psychological non-return of a ♦ - suggesting that you don't have an entry - Ben's response makes a lot of sense to me and now I think I may be more inclined to agree with him.

[pclayton]

The actual hand had the ♠Q moved from the West hand to the East hand. This has a big effect on the entry situation.

Maybe you were just trying to make a point with the ♠Q moved, I don't know.

I also see what you are driving at with this hand.

[han]

Good point Ben. I also didn't give the hand right, darn. Back to the drawing board.

[inquiry]

Hannie, on Nov 20 2007, 12:52 PM, said:

Good point Ben. I also didn't give the hand right, darn. Back to the drawing board.

Well, if you WANTED psychology, you could return a major so that declarer can get an EASY and painless count on your hand. You might do this if you held xxxx of clubs, to talk declarer into the percentage play. Declarer might ask himself why you didn't return a diamond and your partner didn't throw a heart, and might decide you are making it EASY on him to get the count because you LACK the club queen and you want to push him in the wrong direction.

But against people capable of doing all of that, just go with the odds I think.

[whereagles]

Well, it's easy to guess declarer's hand, even without Han giving it. Declarer clearly has the missing hcps, so he's either trying to read the hands to figure out how to play the clubs or reducing the count for some squeeze. I don't see how you can lure him into a (failing) heart/club squeeze, so I'd just play back anything but a club, preferably with a bored look, as if I didn't have the ♣Q