[FrancesHinden]

This came up in a match last night. I think it's quite a sweet hand if you haven't seen this type of play before.

Scoring: IMP

1♦ 1♥
2♣ 2♠
3♥ 3♠
3NT 4♥

---

You show a (very mild) slam try opposite doubleton heart support and play in 4H

(you always raise rather than bid 2C on minimum hands with 3-card support so partner's preference shows a doubleton).

LHO leads the jack of spades, queen, king and you duck.
RHO switches to a low trump. You win with the ace and LHO plays the jack.
Plan the play.

[effervesce]

Looks like 1 spade loser and 1 heart loser if you decide to ruff a spade (just in case the J was a falsecard). To make you need to hold a diamond loser to one - lead a small diamond from dummy? If king diamonds is onside you still make, while making it difficult for east to duck with Kx.

[655321]

effervesce, on Mar 20 2008, 05:54 AM, said:

Looks like 1 spade loser and 1 heart loser if you decide to ruff a spade (just in case the J was a falsecard). To make you need to hold a diamond loser to one - lead a small diamond from dummy? If king diamonds is onside you still make, while making it difficult for east to duck with Kx.

Spoiler

Mmm, pretty odd falsecard (from J9 perhaps? even then declarer can pick up his partner's Q7x.

So, what if the ♥J was not a falsecard - and you can safely assume it is for real - and East has KJx of diamonds. How do you make now?

[effervesce]

655321, on Mar 20 2008, 06:20 AM, said:

effervesce, on Mar 20 2008, 05:54 AM, said:

Looks like 1 spade loser and 1 heart loser if you decide to ruff a spade (just in case the J was a falsecard). To make you need to hold a diamond loser to one - lead a small diamond from dummy? If king diamonds is onside you still make, while making it difficult for east to duck with Kx.

Spoiler

Mmm, pretty odd falsecard (from J9 perhaps? even then declarer can pick up his partner's Q7x.

So, what if the ♥J was not a falsecard - and you can safely assume it is for real - and East has KJx of diamonds. How do you make now?

Playing for anything else, like endplaying east seems a less likely line to work.

[FrancesHinden]

effervesce, on Mar 20 2008, 12:42 PM, said:

655321, on Mar 20 2008, 06:20 AM, said:

effervesce, on Mar 20 2008, 05:54 AM, said:

Looks like 1 spade loser and 1 heart loser if you decide to ruff a spade (just in case the J was a falsecard). To make you need to hold a diamond loser to one - lead a small diamond from dummy? If king diamonds is onside you still make, while making it difficult for east to duck with Kx.

Spoiler

Mmm, pretty odd falsecard (from J9 perhaps? even then declarer can pick up his partner's Q7x.

So, what if the ♥J was not a falsecard - and you can safely assume it is for real - and East has KJx of diamonds. How do you make now?

Playing for anything else, like endplaying east seems a less likely line to work.

Keep thinking!

If the Jack of hearts is a true card (and as 655321 points out it is a very unlikely falsecard as it may cost a trump trick), you have a close to 100% line available for 10 tricks.

p.s. don't feel put upon, I'm pleased you are thinking and responding, I know it can be a bit tough in public but it's a good learning for anyone who hasn't seen this type of play before.

[rogerclee]

I felt great the first time I found a play like this at the table.

In my opinion, this is a really good problem for B/I players to think about.

[jocdelevat]

we need a 10 trick which should be in diamonds. I play trump to 10 then ace diamond. come back in hand with spade. take the rest of trumps out and play small to q diamond.

[y66]

Spoiler

Play RHO for 4 hearts. Try to take 3 side-suit aces + 7 hearts (AKQ, spade ruff + 3 club ruffs).

CQ to ace, ruff club, SA, ruff spade, ruff club, Dx to ace, ruff club.

Nice problem. Thanks.

[effervesce]

jocdelevat, on Mar 20 2008, 07:13 AM, said:

we need a 10 trick which should be in diamonds. I play trump to 10 then ace diamond. come back in hand with spade. take the rest of trumps out and play small to q diamond.

Um... lose to the K, J diamonds is setting trick?

[effervesce]

y66, on Mar 20 2008, 07:36 AM, said:

Spoiler

Play RHO for 4 hearts. Try to take 3 side-suit aces + 7 hearts (AKQ, spade ruff + 3 club ruffs).

CQ to ace, ruff club, SA, ruff spade, ruff club, Dx to ace, ruff club.

Nice problem. Thanks.

You're right. Didnt think of that line

[1eyedjack]

FrancesHinden, on Mar 20 2008, 11:19 AM, said:

You show a (very mild) slam try opposite doubleton heart support and play in 4H

(you always raise rather than bid 2C on minimum hands with 3-card support so partner's preference shows a doubleton).

Nice hand. Appreciate that the play is the point (and has been thrashed out above), but just a small point on the bidding: Why has North shown precisely doubleton Heart? I agree with raising on 3 cards with a minimum, but with more than a minimum but short of a GF reverse and holding 1-3-5-4 shape I would normally temporise with 2C and back in with H support later. 3H would have been forcing (I think), or perhaps you say not and would bid 4H with that? Also I think I would have bid 2N rather than 3H on the hand in question, although I appreciate that changing Qx of Spades into xx and I would not.

[FrancesHinden]

1eyedjack, on Mar 20 2008, 01:49 PM, said:

Why has North shown precisely doubleton Heart? I agree with raising on 3 cards with a minimum, but with more than a minimum but short of a GF reverse and holding 1-3-5-4 shape I would normally temporise with 2C and back in with H support later. 3H would have been forcing (I think), or perhaps you say not and would bid 4H with that? Also I think I would have bid 2N rather than 3H on the hand in question, although I appreciate that changing Qx of Spades into xx and I would not.

yes, you are quite right - we play 2S as game forcing so when opener bid 3H he could at that point have had a non-minimum 1-3-5-4. Of course that was no longer possible after the 3NT bid and the pass of 4H.

2NT is not unreasonable on the hand instead, but we feel we have been even more descriptive by first bidding 3H, then 3NT over 3S. For us, the 3S bid over 3H isn't natural (I needed to bid 3S over 2C to show a game forcing major 2-suiter) but is re-4th-suit, typically looking for half a stop for 3NT (although here an advance cue for hearts).

[skjaeran]

Nice elopement hand. They come up at times.

[vuroth]

Looks like an endplay position, but I'm not sure I can make it happen.

Low to T♥, ♠ back to A, draw trump. Exit with a ♠.

If I get a ♠ back, exit with the Q♣, and hope to endplay E if he had 3♠ and the K♣. (If the Q♣ is ducked I claim.)

If I get a ♣ back, duck in dummy. If the Q wins I claim. If E has the K, he's endplayed if he returns a minor. If he returns a ♠, I'm down to the ♦ finesse If W had the K♣, I'm down to the ♦ finesse.

If I get a ♦ back from W, duck. If E wins with the K, I make. If E wins with the J and returns a ♣, I make. If E wins with the J and returns a ♠, I'm down to the ♦ finesse.

I think.

Now to go check the right answer.

V

[vuroth]

y66, on Mar 20 2008, 07:36 AM, said:

Spoiler

Play RHO for 4 hearts. Try to take 3 side-suit aces + 7 hearts (AKQ, spade ruff + 3 club ruffs).

CQ to ace, ruff club, SA, ruff spade, ruff club, Dx to ace, ruff club.

Nice problem. Thanks.

Gah. Nice problem. Easy if you count winners, hard to find if you're counting losers like I was...

[han]

Very nice problem, although I don't like the 3H bid.

[mikeh]

This technique is known as an elopement: one plays to 'elope' with one's small trumps.

It is probably the easiest technique of all described in the famous Kelsey/Ottlik Adventures in Card Play.

Described by some as the most advanced book on play ever written, it is a joy to read and reread. Immaterial threats, backwash squeezes and so on. I wouldn't advise a beginner to read it, but any advancing intermediate or better should (imo) get the book because it will open your eyes to some of the astounding possibilities in card play, and it is the type of book that one can reread every couple of years... and the better you get, the more enjoyable to reread.. again, imo.