[Hanoi5]

♠xxx
♥Txxx
♦Jx
♣A9xx

♠Ax
♥AJx
♦AT7x
♣KQJx

Playing 3NT, I got a small diamond lead winning in my hand with the ten over RHO 9. I tried the clubs RHO had Tx and then played a heart to the 10 which RHO won with the Queen. A diamond was returned to the Queen and the King, RHO playing a small encouraging spade. I won and with the lead on my hand reached this:

♠xx
♥xxx
♦
♣A9

♠A8
♥AJ
♦7
♣Jx

RHO will toss two hearts, LHO one spade on the clubs, where do you want to be and what will you play?

[cnszsun]

If rho pitched 2 hearts from 6-3-2-2 or 5-4-2-2, he would fool me successfully.
So, i will play him for 4-5-2-2 and finesse ♥.

[FrancesHinden]

What was the auction?

[Hanoi5]

2NT-3C-3D-3NT

[TylerE]

Can't say I'm a huge fan of the auction. It's a very, very average 19 count. I'd probably be playing 2NT on these cards, for better or worse. I don't like being in 3N on 24 highs with no source of tricks, personally.

[FrancesHinden]

Having got to this point, does it hurt just to exit with the last diamond? I'll discard two hearts from dummy as RHO cashes the last two diamonds, and a club from hand.

[kenberg]

I play the clubs ending on the board, when lho tosses the spade I rule out the original distribution of 2=3=5=3. If that's his distribution I could endplay him witha spade to my hand and a D, but he can easily see it coming and would have tossed a D instead of a spade. Or so I will assume.

So I give lho 3=2=5=3 or 4=1=5=3.

I can assume that rho knows my hand exactly. The clubs he has seen, the ds he can infer from his partner's play, I can't have four hearts on the auction, I presumably started with AJx on the play, he can pace me with the ace of spades on the auction. This makes him free to toss those two hearts whether he started with KQxxx or with Qxxx.

Holding KQxxx he was free to win the ten with either honor so there is a bit of restricted choice about this. I lead a H spot from dummy. Rho produces the last spot.

Possible lho ORIGINAL heart holdings
Hx (2 times 4 equals 8 ways, counting the KQ as indistinguishable) If so I can drop the now stiff H.
OR

x (4 ways)
On these I should finesse.

Looks like the drop 8-4. But maybe I am being conned.



Or maybe I just insult my opponent and try for the endplay

[Hanoi5]

I think there is another clue. Why didn't RHO return a spade after winning the heart?

I played for the endplay (thought about it before finishing the clubs). At the other table they just played 2NT.

[kenberg]

Of course there is also another clue: Take the finesse is never the right answer in a posted bridge problem.

[Hanoi5]

Oh no, I went down. LHO was 4153.

[kenberg]

Ah ha. The exception that proves the rule. Just take the finesse, Tess.