[gartinmale]

At IMPs, you sit down as East against a pair playing a Precision variant. The opening of 1H could be 10 to a bad 15 points. 2D is a game force. South's 2NT bid denies holding four diamonds or spades, and does not necessarily promise stoppers in the unbid suits. Partner leads the three of clubs (probably fourth best), and declarer ducks to your queen. At trick two, do you start knocking out the clubs and wait for your tricks, or do you lead a spade? If South looks unhappy to be in 3NT, does it change your decision? I promise this isn't a hand I'm posting just to complain about the result. I'm genuinely interested to see if there is a consensus.

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[Hanoi5]

Although it would have been nice to know which club declarer played to trick one I think returning a spade is the best defense. Partner can have spades (Axx, Qxx) and even if he doesn't, clubs have to be played twice in order to be set-up (and spades too when declarer holds AQ).

[aguahombre]

Spade nine. Just so partner will have an easy pop from ace-third on the second duck, even though she should work it out anyway, unless I would be cute with QJT9 just to confuse things.

[Phil]

♣8

Here are a few things to consider:

1. If declarer has a weak / single stopper in spades (like Qxx or even Axx), why is the club being ducked? Therefore, I think its a reasonable conclusion that declarer has ♠AQx

2. if declarer has a doubleton club, and non-solid diamonds, he is jeopardizing his diamond suit by allowing us to take off the entry early. Imagine AQxx JTxxx Kx xx. However, if that were the case, declarer has either four spades or six hearts. Accordingly, it does appear that declarer is probably 3523. With xxx / xx in the minors, ducking the club doesn't seem to gain anything.

I see a few possibilities:

A - Declarer looks like: AQx AJxxx xx xxx. Note if declarer has either the ♦K / Q he's cold.

If we shift to spades, declarer wins the Q, and ducks a diamond. A spade continuation is ducked (otherwise we win 2S + 2D + 1C), and we can shift to a high heart and set. What about a club continuation? Declarer wins, ducks a diamond, and a club kills the entry. We will probably get this -2.

B - Declarer has AQx AJxxx K xxxx? A club shift is vital to take out the entry to the long diamonds. The endgame gets interesting if declarer has some good heart intermediates, but we will have to worry about that later.

A club seems to beat the hand when it can be beaten.

[JLOGIC]

An easy one: If it was right to shift to spades, declarer would not have ducked the club.

That is not always true but since declarer knows clubs are 4-3 it is.

[billw55]

JLOGIC, on 2011-May-03, 08:39, said:

An easy one: If it was right to shift to spades, declarer would not have ducked the club.

That is not always true but since declarer knows clubs are 4-3 it is.

I can understand that. But also I was thinking that declarer could easily be light on high cards, and might be trying for a needed extra trick holding ♣Jx or Jxx. From his perspective, is not west a favorite to hold the ♣Q?