Heh, this is actually a very interesting suit combination in isolation and I wrote like 5 paragraphs about it but it probably would just derail the thread since this is about a bridge hand not a suit combo.
This is also a very interesting bridge hand. It deviates from the suit combo because we don't have 12 top tricks, and we're always going to need a ruff, menaing we can't always pick up 4-1 trumps even if we could in isolation.
This hand is made even more interesting by the possibility of a brilliancy prize worthy falsecard if we cash the SA from dummy of dropping an honor from Hx on our right. It might even be a super brilliancy prize to do so from QJx!
Why? Because if you do choose to start with the SA, and RHO plays an honor, your natural inclination should be to try and strip out the hand (possibly having to guess LHOs shape in the process). After doing so, if LHO has H9x of trumps left you can endplay him. What if trumps are 3-2? Well it won't matter, since RHO will have QJ tight of trumps and you'll be cold anyways...unless...they have made a brilliant falsecard.
Of course, in real life I wouldn't be worried about this, but it is nice to think about anyways.
If you play the spade ace and an honor doesnt drop on your right, you can just play a spade to the ten next (ducking if RHO plays an honor). You make now with QJxx onside if RHO has 3+ clubs.
If LHO drops an honor of course you're cold.
All of this doesn't mean starting with the spade ace is right, but I think it is because:
1) Most lines involving leading trumps towards your hand first are catering to stiff honor on your right, but we still have the chance of stripping out the hand an making it in that case.
2) Those lines seem to hurt us in cases where LHO has a stiff trump honor. For instance if we duck a trump completely, and then cash the ace getting the news, we are going to need to find RHO with 3+ clubs in order to make now.
So I would start with the spade ace planning to duck a spade next, unless RHO dropped an honor, then the play would get interesting.
edited to add some stuff on why i think starting with the spade ace is right
This post has been edited by JLOGIC: 2010-August-07, 04:48