[Fluffy]

Scoring: IMP

1♦-1♥
4♣-4NT
5♦-6♥

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You get the ♠10 lead won in dummy East producing ♠3

On the ♥K RHO produces the 9, and West the 4.

What now?

[Ronald_21]

Are opps good enough to always drop the 9?

[mikeh]

Ronald_21, on Dec 3 2007, 03:37 PM, said:

Are opps good enough to always drop the 9?

If you were asking about the textbook 9 from J9xx play, it doesn't apply here, because it is RHO who dropped the 9, not LHO

[mikeh]

I am going to need some luck to justify that astounding 4N call... your partnership must have incredible requirements for splinters to warrant this auction!

I cross in hearts. If they break 3-2, I hook the diamond.. if it loses, and they ruff a spade, I wasn't making anyway. So if it loses, I will win the return and pull the last trump. Exactly how I play depends on the defence, but clearly I am cold if spades are 3-2 or diamonds 3-3, and I think I have some squeeze possibilities as well.

If the diamond hook wins, I pull the last trump, cross in spades and repeat the diamond hook (which may lose and revert to the previous situation absent one potentially crucial entry, but I am not going to spend time here worrying about it). If 2 hooks win in diamonds, then I am in great shape... at least 5 hearts, 3 diamonds, 3 spades and a club adds to 12.

If hearts are 4-1... I am going to ignore 4-1 offside, altho the contract is not down yet, the odds are against the 9 from J9xx offside and the lines that make are not complex... I need luck!

Assuming hearts are 4-1 onside: cross in trump (after all, trump could be 32) and hook the diamond. If this loses, especially if it loses on the second hook (and good opps will probably know enough to duck smoothly), I am in real trouble. I think I can handle a first round duck only if diamonds and spades are both breaking perfectly.

Assume the diamond K is onside: after the 1st winning hook, cross in spades and play another diamond.

If LHO pops the K, then cash a top heart in dummy and then play the ♦Q for LHO to ruff... if he doesn't ruff, we play the 4th diamond and ruff it ourselves.. we score 5 trumps, 2 diamonds, 4 spades and a club... we need spades to be 3-2, but we always did when trump were 4-1, I think.

If LHO doesn't pop the K, on the second diamond, we win the hook, cash the A and, if needed, ruff the 4th diamond and hook the heart, and make 13 tricks But I wouldn't expect LHO to be 3=4=4=2 or 2=4=4=3 because no one bid clubs.

There are other permutations, as there usually are in hands from real life.

[ArtK78]

RHO playing the ♥9 from J9xx is a Grosvenor's Gambit.

[Ronald_21]

I guess I wasn't awake yet.

However, assuming hearts are 4-1 and the spades are breaking, I can make when:

- West has the king of diamonds (with any number of diamonds).
- East has the king of diamonds and diamonds are 3-3.
- East has 4 (or 5) diamonds to the king and west has the 10 of diamonds.

At the third trick play a heart to the ace, finesse a heart and pull the last trump. Spade to the ace. Diamond to the queen. Assuming the queen holds the trick, play a high spade and a spade to hand and play another diamond.

If west plays small, I will finesse again. If west plays the 10 of diamonds, I go up with the ace and continue with a small diamond.

[Fluffy]

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Declarer player ♥ to the ace, and when it won he didn't wanna risk a ruff and played third trump, stuck in dummy he was forced to play for diamnds 3-3. Not today.