[irdoz]

Quote

Yes, you can do better. Once you know spades break, you should play a club to the nine. The key is to keep the ♥K as an entry to table and the ♣K as an entry back to hand (to repeat the club finesse).

If you are starting clubs low to the nine I dont think it matters whether you kept the ♥K or ♥A. In one case you cross back to the hand via the ♣K to repeat the finesse. In the other case, when you are already in the hand because you kept the ♥A, you cash the ♣K then refinesse.

In isolation - say playing this suit in matchpoints - starting with the king wins an extra trick when there is a stiff Q or J offside - but here where you only need 3 club tricks it doesnt lose the contract. I thought the only combination you'd lose out to starting low was stiff QJ offside but as you always have to cash the ♣K before refinessing you will still get 3 club tricks with QJ stiff offside.

So now Im not sure which hand we win the trick in at the first trick matters at all.

[david_c]

irdoz, on Mar 11 2008, 04:31 PM, said:

Quote

Yes, you can do better. Once you know spades break, you should play a club to the nine. The key is to keep the ♥K as an entry to table and the ♣K as an entry back to hand (to repeat the club finesse).

If you are starting clubs low to the nine I dont think it matters whether you kept the ♥K or ♥A.

Suppose LHO goes in with an honour on the first round ...

[irdoz]

Quote

Suppose LHO goes in with an honour on the first round ...

If you cover and drive out the remaining honor with a 10 to guarantee 3 club tricks, isnt the club suit blocked whatever hand you end up in? Wont you have K clubs in one hand and 9x in the other and no transport to cash both? If this is correct (but I may not be able to see it), it sounds like playing clubs K A 10 is the way to go keeping the heart honor in the hand with long clubs.

[cherdano]

irdoz, on Mar 11 2008, 02:46 PM, said:

Quote

Suppose LHO goes in with an honour on the first round ...

If you cover and drive out the remaining honor with a 10 to guarantee 3 club tricks, isnt the club suit blocked whatever hand you end up in? Wont you have K clubs in one hand and 9x in the other and no transport to cash both? If this is correct (but I may not be able to see it), it sounds like playing clubs K A 10 is the way to go keeping the heart honor in the hand with long clubs.

No, if you play low from hand and LHO inserts an honor, you win the ace, cross to the king, and give up a club.

[irdoz]

oops