Phil, on 2012-September-24, 17:58, said:
Saw this hand in a Cayne match today. See if you can do better than the actual declarer.
LHO leads the
♣K, showing the Ace. RHO signals odd count. LHO shifts to the
♥J.
Plan the play.
spoiler?
I tried to post a spoiler-masked anwser but screwed it up, so here is my answer, with apologies to Phil if I preempted his hoped-for set of responses....of course, I may have screwed up the play as well
I duck the heart. I will assume RHO does likewise, tho I have lines mapped out should he not.
I win the presumed second heart and lead a top diamond, hoping LHO wins, in which case I assume he is endplayed. Regardless of his exit, sooner or later I am on the board to pitch a heart on the diamond winner, and will then take a spade hook, and if I get the reward to which I am entitled due to my clean living, LHO started with xxx Jx Axxxx AKx and I make my contract.
'one of the great markers of the advance of human kindness is the howls you will hear from the Men of God' Johann Hari