[Fluffy]

---

intermediate opps, LHO leads ♠5 (attitude, 2nd/4th)

plan the play

if you decide to try ♠9 as I did you can go on with the spoiler:

Spoiler

LHO covers with the 10, so you have to win in hand, if you decide to go back to dummy in spades like I did:

Spoiler

LHO insta pitches ♥2.

[gnasher]

I'm probably going to need at least one club trick, so I'd play clubs at trick two. Best is probably to win in hand and lead the 10, because they may not cover from HJx.

[gszes]

Due to limited entry situation I think the best overall LOP involves a successful
heart finesse combined with getting 2 dia tricks.


trick 1 spade J (no sense risking losing to singleton T)
trick 2 heart finesse If this loses we are in big trouble and our game
% falls to single digits (ick)
assuming the heart wins
we attack dia from the top hoping for any HH Jx or Tx and the inability
of the opps to score 3 clubs.

[rhm]

gnasher, on 2012-September-29, 00:47, said:

I'm probably going to need at least one club trick, so I'd play clubs at trick two. Best is probably to win in hand and lead the 10, because they may not cover from HJx.

I agree that we should try for a club trick. But how likely is it that the ten will not get covered when you are missing AKJ986?
Meanwhile the ten reduces your legitimate chances to get a club trick substantially.
Low to the ♣T maximizes your chances for one trick. So win with the ♠J and play a club towards the ♣T.

The alternative is to win in hand and play a low club to the ♣Q, preserving small chances for 2 tricks in clubs.
However, this reduces your overall chances of making a single trick in clubs.

Rainer Herrmann

[PhilKing]

Sorry, I don't like any of the suggested lines at all.

Trick 1 - ♠J
Trick 2 - ♦8, East will cover with JTx, and if really weak my cover with JTxx, but we must give him the chance to err. If East covers with Jxx and TXX, that also helps us build two tricks. If East ducks, rise queen.
Trick 3 - if still on play, low club, intending to play low from dummy against these guys (catering for Kx or Ax off, discounting AKx on, which leftie might lead, rise with or give off a tell). I would hate to go with the manglers and find out that West started with AJ or KJ tight!

If they just plug away passively with spades, great. If they switch to hearts, I will need the finesse, or maybe my first "horse" - inducing the diamond cover - will have come home.

[Fluffy]

Everyone is doing better than me, I hate you

RHO had ♠10xxxxx ♥Q9 ♦10xxx ♣AK