[Phil]

AK72
A9653
AJT
J

QT653
K2
K64
AQ5

Plan the play on:

1. Spade 4 lead
2. Heart T lead

[Fluffy]

On a trump lead draw trumps and ruff a heart in hand, if a major breaks evenly claim, if hearts are 5-1 and spades 3-1 will need 2 finesses. If hearts 4-2 and spades 3-1, or hearts 5-1 and spades 2-2 only 1 finesse is needed, but there are squeezes that might work better (or perhaps test for ♦Q doubleotn before making the club finesse).

Ruffing clubs in dummy before pulling trumps sacrifices the 5th heart when hearts are 4-2 in exchange of a club ruff which only weakens the position so shouldn't be better unless hearts 5-1 and spades 3-1.

Don't see any diffferentce on a heart lead.

[Phil]

It seems like with hearts 4-2 you need two club ruffs unless you're really good at guessing queens and squeezes, so you can't afford to draw the 3rd trump. I suppose you pay off to 5-1 hearts.

IMO the trump lead helps since you can reverse course and guess diamonds when RHO has 1-2 in the majors. With a heart lead things get much trickier since you have to weigh 22 trumps / 33 hearts vs other options.

[Fluffy]

I can't afford to lose a heart ruff or overruff, affording to draw 3 trumps I tell you I can and will .

I wouldn't try to work out all possible ending combinations at the table, and you shouldn't spoil the problem so if you want you can give me the major's break on a PM

[Lovera]

Hello. At me it seems that can be possible to make dummy reversal and estabilsh heart with two ruffings than it'd follow an automatic simple squeeze in minors. Usually, when there is an impasse situation i use don't consider it resolving by a squeeze ending (when is possible).(Lovera)

[Phil]

Fluffy, on 2016-March-28, 13:57, said:

I can't afford to lose a heart ruff or overruff, affording to draw 3 trumps I tell you I can and will .

I wouldn't try to work out all possible ending combinations at the table, and you shouldn't spoil the problem so if you want you can give me the major's break on a PM

A heart lead was basically put in for interest. At the table a trump was led and we get a cheap trick with the T.

If you draw three round of trump, you'll discover RHO has three. If you try to ruff out hearts you will see RHO has 4.

I don't see what the hurry is to draw three rounds of trump when LHO shows out. The play flows nicely with HH H ruff, cA, C ruff, heart ruff, c ruff, D to hand draw trump and claim.

If you mistime the hand, you'll have to guess diamonds which you will get wrong based on vacant spaces. And that's what happened at the table.

[rhm]

Phil, on 2016-March-28, 13:20, said:

It seems like with hearts 4-2 you need two club ruffs unless you're really good at guessing queens and squeezes, so you can't afford to draw the 3rd trump. I suppose you pay off to 5-1 hearts.

IMO the trump lead helps since you can reverse course and guess diamonds when RHO has 1-2 in the majors. With a heart lead things get much trickier since you have to weigh 22 trumps / 33 hearts vs other options.

So for the sake of the argument assume West has 2 hearts and 3 spades
Which line do you suggest, which will enable you to ruff 2 clubs and establish the fifth heart and get there to enjoy it without getting overruffed?
I agree though that this line appeals once West is known to be out of trumps.
By the way who claims grands are easy to play?

Rainer Herrmann

[Fluffy]

rhm, on 2016-March-30, 02:43, said:

So for the sake of the argument assume West has 2 hearts and 3 spades
Which line do you suggest, which will enable you to ruff 2 clubs and establish the fifth heart and get there to enjoy it without getting overruffed?
I agree though that this line appeals once West is known to be out of trumps.
By the way who claims grands are easy to play?

Rainer Herrmann

Grands are the easiest to play from some POV, but the most important from decision trees. Opponents are "forced" to assist on virtually all tricks and can't decide which suit to play. As oposed to a typical 1NT partscore grands are by far easier.

Most beginner problems are in the slam zone, or start with opponents cashing 2/3 tricks against 4M.

[Fluffy]

Phil, on 2016-March-29, 10:30, said:

A heart lead was basically put in for interest. At the table a trump was led and we get a cheap trick with the T.

If you draw three round of trump, you'll discover RHO has three. If you try to ruff out hearts you will see RHO has 4.

I don't see what the hurry is to draw three rounds of trump when LHO shows out. The play flows nicely with HH H ruff, cA, C ruff, heart ruff, c ruff, D to hand draw trump and claim.

If you mistime the hand, you'll have to guess diamonds which you will get wrong based on vacant spaces. And that's what happened at the table.

I failed to see it , would had been the third grand where I go down for losing doubleton queen on a marked 5-2 split. One more and I will start to think about paranormal queens

[Phil]

rhm, on 2016-March-30, 02:43, said:

So for the sake of the argument assume West has 2 hearts and 3 spades
Which line do you suggest, which will enable you to ruff 2 clubs and establish the fifth heart and get there to enjoy it without getting overruffed?
I agree though that this line appeals once West is known to be out of trumps.
By the way who claims grands are easy to play?

Rainer Herrmann

Once trumps are 3-1 and LHO has the trump length it seems you can ruff a heart high to check for 3-3, falling back on the club or diamond hook after drawing the last trump.

At least I can't see anything better.

[Phil]

Specifically what happened at the table was

1. Trump lead
2-4 three rounds of hearts ruffing high.

The hand could no longer be made without guessing diamonds.

[nige1]

Phil, on 2016-March-28, 03:49, said:

AK72 A9653 AJT J
QT653 K2 K64 AQ5
2. Heart T lead

I like Phil's line: Win ♠ lead cheaply. ♠A, ♣A, ruff a ♣, ♥KA, ruff a ♥. If ♥ break then claim. If ♥ are 4-2 then ruff a ♣, ruff a ♥ and claim.