[ahydra]

Problem for "beginner-to-intermediate-level" (roughly!) players - others use spoiler please.

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IMPs, expert opponents. This is a hand I just saw on vugraph - unfortunately the bidding wasn't explained by the operator, but it looks like 2C was some sort of multi that included an option "weak with both majors". West arrives in 5C, partner leads the HA:

1) HA, 5, 2, 7
2) D2 (fourth highest), 3, you ruff with C2, declarer follows with D10

What do you lead next?

ahydra

[alok c]

Spoiler

K of Hearts.

[NickRW]

Cute hand

[Cyberyeti]

NickRW, on 2016-August-26, 05:24, said:

Cute hand

Yes, although partner appears to have a hand with quite a lot of major suit cards to have only bid 2♥.

[NickRW]

Cyberyeti, on 2016-August-26, 05:45, said:

Yes, although partner appears to have a hand with quite a lot of major suit cards to have only bid 2♥.

Yes, I wondered why North didn't call higher earlier and whether that meant my estimation of the shape of partner's hand was possibly off target. But we aren't too clear what meaning(s) were implied by the opening, so just maybe more caution was appropriate.

[Kaitlyn S]

Spoiler

Oh no! My teacher told me never to lead a suit that the dummy is trumping! And yet I'm going to lead the ♥K anyway. Why would I do such thing?

[ahydra]

Yep, you guys all got it right. The player at the table however fell right into the trap. Thinking that she needed to cut down heart ruffs, she returned a club. Declarer held ♠xx ♥xxx ♦AK10 ♣AQJxx or something very close to that, and won the club in dummy with the ten, finessed and dropped the CK, then cashed DAK and used dummy's two spade entries to ruff out, and then cash, the diamonds.

The key point being, as this is IMPs we just want to beat the contract - by forcing dummy, we guarantee we'll make the CK for one down. Keep it simple!

ahydra

[Kaitlyn S]

ahydra, on 2016-August-28, 14:13, said:

Yep, you guys all got it right. The player at the table however fell right into the trap. Thinking that she needed to cut down heart ruffs, she returned a club. Declarer held ♠xx ♥xxx ♦AK10 ♣AQJxx or something very close to that, and won the club in dummy with the ten, finessed and dropped the CK, then cashed DAK and used dummy's two spade entries to ruff out, and then cash, the diamonds.

The key point being, as this is IMPs we just want to beat the contract - by forcing dummy, we guarantee we'll make the CK for one down. Keep it simple!

ahydra

I'm surprised no novices took a shot at this problem which was meant for them. I was thinking about proposing a couple of problems for them to solve but I am guessing there is little point in light of what happened.

[NickRW]

Kaitlyn S, on 2016-August-29, 14:31, said:

I'm surprised no novices took a shot at this problem which was meant for them. I was thinking about proposing a couple of problems for them to solve but I am guessing there is little point in light of what happened.

Many of the more experienced players on this and other forums think that beginners and novices are capable of more than they really are. They forget just how much that they have learnt over the years.

[Stephen Tu]

How many true novices and beginners actually find their way to this forum? How many of those actually post instead of just lurk? May not be too many for attempt to really be expected. Forum posters I think tend to find forum after already playing for awhile.

[diana_eva]

Stephen Tu, on 2016-August-30, 04:54, said:

How many true novices and beginners actually find their way to this forum? How many of those actually post instead of just lurk? May not be too many for attempt to really be expected. Forum posters I think tend to find forum after already playing for awhile.

There are novice and beginners lurking. I think we should continue to provide material for them, and encourage them to come ask questions.

I for one liked Kaytlin's problems, they are very basic and we rarely see stuff of that level posted here. But one of my first thrills in bridge was discovering that I can stayman with a really weak 4441 hand and pass any response, that was one of those "AHA" moments for my bridge judgement.

[NickRW]

Perhaps an easier way to for an inexperienced player to think about this is:

1) How many clubs can South see? Yet West has bid to the 5 level in that suit. How many of them does West almost certainly have? How many does North have?

2) How many diamonds can South see? And how many has partner shown with the D2 lead? That leaves how many for West?

3) We've made a "weak with both majors" opening (implying at least 4 of each). Partner supported hearts to the 3 level (but not higher), implying how many? Leaving how many for West?

4) That leaves West with not many spades at all does it!?! How many?

5) Now think about being declarer and how the play is inevitably going to have to proceed depending on different trick 3 leads by South... Then you have the answer.

[alok c]

NickRW, on 2016-August-30, 06:37, said:

Perhaps an easier way to for an inexperienced player to think about this is:

1) How many clubs can South see? Yet West has bid to the 5 level in that suit. How many of them does West almost certainly have? How many does North have?

2) How many diamonds can South see? And how many has partner shown with the D2 lead? That leaves how many for West?

3) We've made a "weak with both majors" opening (implying at least 4 of each). Partner supported hearts to the 3 level (but not higher), implying how many? Leaving how many for West?

4) That leaves West with not many spades at all does it!?! How many?

5) Now think about being declarer and how the play is inevitably going to have to proceed depending on different trick 3 leads by South... Then you have the answer.

Perhaps the easiest way for the beginners to find solutions to such problems will be to think of it as a goal achievement such as,
1)We have already got two & require one more.Surely K♣ if it can be protected being finessed two times.
2)How to do it-By shortening the club length in dummy.
3)How-By forcing West to ruff in dummy.
etc