[Coelacanth]

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Comments on the auction are welcome. (Should S bid 3♥, 3♦, or pass at his final turn?)

West leads the ♦J, a presumed singleton.

Assuming you win the opening lead in hand, what do you play to trick 2? I can see a case for just about any card in your hand except the low spade.

How do you like your chances of making this contract?

[Hanoi5]

Why didn't partner double 3♣? Why didn't we double 3♣?

I don't like my chances at all. I might try a small heart towards the 8 in dummy or another diamond, but it doesn't look good at all.

[quiddity]

LHO probably has a singleton diamond and six clubs. With four spades he might have doubled 2♦ for takeout. Maybe he's 3316 with a couple of heart honors.

We don't have much hope but I'd try leading the ♥T. West will probably duck and East might try to give West a diamond ruff with a natural trump trick - West did lead a stiff after all.

The auction is terrible. South should have doubled 2♣ and 3♣ for takeout, North should have doubled 3♣ for penalty (3 trump tricks and a misfit?!).

[ArtK78]

I can understand not doubling 2♣ (although it is probably best to do so) but the subsequent failure of both partners to double 3♣ is very strange.

Not much chance of making 3♥. If we assume that LHO has a singleton diamond, then we should play a LOW diamond back at trick 2, intending to lead a third round towards a ruff in dummy if given the chance.

Another possibility is duck the first diamond completely. If you are given an entry to dummy, you can then lead a diamond towards the 10 in hand.

[Coelacanth]

Thanks for all the replies.

To be honest, balancing with a double didn't occur to me.

In assessing the hand after trick one (I was declarer), I figured I had 3 top trump losers, a long diamond loser (not enough trumps in dummy to ruff them all) and a spade loser. I can discard one of those on the ♣A, but I have no entry to that card. I thus played a diamond at trick two, planning to eventually ruff a diamond as an entry to dummy for a discard.

As it turns out, this contract has no legitimate play against best defense. The defense was closer to worst; opening leader held ♠Qxxx ♥KQ ♦J ♣Kxxxxx. A spade opening lead will set the hand immediately. When I continued a high diamond at trick two, west ruffed and played a spade. I won and played a third diamond, ruffed with the ♥K for another spade play. I won and played a fourth diamond, ruffed in dummy, and discarded my spade on the ♣A.

I can now ruff a spade in hand and the last diamond in dummy.