[MrAce]

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Pd and opponents are GIB. Cross IMP.

Lead = ♥3,5,T,Q

Be sure that GIB EAST does not have ♥9 or it would play 9 instead of T. So now you know you have 2 entries to dummy in hearts by finessing the 9 of GIB WEST.

How would you guys continue, if your experiences with GIB tells ♦ finesse is very unlikely to work when GIB leads trump vs this slam.




EDIT: This is the correct auction.

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[Cyberyeti]

Are you in 6♥ or 6♠ ? 6♠ shows in auction but you claim the heart lead is a trump.

[MrAce]

Cyberyeti, on 2016-September-02, 07:12, said:

Are you in 6♥ or 6♠ ? 6♠ shows in auction but you claim the heart lead is a trump.

Sorry we are in 6♥

[nige1]

My guess:
Win ♥A.
Run ♠9 (if LHO has red suit length, then he might be short in ♠s). Say it loses to RHO...
Finesse ♥8. Cash ♠A, If ♠s are good and ♥s are 4-1, then run ♠s.
Otherwise ruff a ♠ high (hoping that they're now good), and use ♥K to cash them

[MrAce]

nige1, on 2016-September-02, 08:35, said:

My guess

Spoiler

Win ♥A.
Run ♠9 (if LHO has red suit length, then he might be short in ♠s). Say it loses to RHO...
Finesse ♥8. Cash ♠A, If ♠s are good and ♥s are 4-1, then run ♠s.
Otherwise ruff a ♠ high (hoping that they're now good), and use [HE}K to cash them

No need for spoilers.

Explain me how you make when hearts are 4-1.

Also explain me how did you know WEST has longer hearts so he has short spades, at the time when you decided to run ♠9

[ahydra]

Would GIB be likely to lead a top honour if he had ♠KQ(x...)?

ahydra

[MrAce]

ahydra, on 2016-September-02, 09:58, said:

Would GIB be likely to lead a top honour if he had ♠KQ(x...)?

ahydra

No but will definitely split spades when you play towards AJTxxx

[nige1]

To make against a 4-1 ♥ break, you need the cards to lie favourably e.g. as above.
But if you lose a ♠, then you can often avoid going more than one down by similar play,

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[The_Badger]

hi MrAce,

I love the challenge of a difficult hand, and I'd wish I was as quick at analysing these problems as some players, but this is an interesting point in itself, having knowledge of GIB (for example, the ♦ finesse is losing, ♥s are probably 4-1, etc.) is probably making this into a double dummy hand where a player will make a 'contrived' (for want of a better word) play well below the standard odds of let's say a 50% finesse for example, to achieve success.

It's great having knowledge of GIB, and knowing that it will make things as difficult as possible for you, but if the odds of success are dependent on a layout of the cards that occurs, let's say just 10% of the time as a random figure, surely you are playing against the odds only because it is GIB.

If West had bid ♦s on this hand, then many declarers would make the assumption that the ♦ finesse will lose and find this alternative line. Fair enough. That is information provided in the bidding - that's different than knowing how a bridge robot works (without bidding).

The point I'm making is because you are familiar with GIB, you are now probably playing the hand differently than if you were playing against humans. And that's probably a talking point in itself.

And yes, it'll be great to see the whole hand soon. My brain is well and truly fried on this problem!

[MrAce]

@ The_Badger

Actually if I played this hand vs humans, I would NEVER thought that he led trumps, holding Hx spade in front of 2♠ opener. IF anything I would play West for long spades Hxxx KQxx. And that is how I played. I played spade to dummy. Only thing that gives me advantage about knowing GIB is that with KQxx it will insert an honor. When I did not see honor I played it for holding Hxxx spade, or Hxx at worst but never thought of Hx spade when led trump.

I mean...who leads trump, when your LHO showed a 6 card suit and you hold Qx or Kx in front of it. You would be scared that they will clear trumps and due to your holding that 6 card suit is very likely to run.

Does that make sense?

So I played spade towards dummy, when see no honor I played Ace and played another spade and ruffed with J. I can make when spades are 3-3. I can make when West has 4 spades Hxxx. I can make when East makes a mistake of covering 3rd spade from Hxxx. I can make when someone has KQ tide spades.

I agree with you that playing for diamond finesse is better odds. Ruff 2 clubs in dummy and take dia finesse. I got it all wrong. Diamond finesse was off but West had Kx ♠ and 9xx ♥

Also against humans is a different story. For example an expert East would never play ♥T at T1 to prevent 2 entries to dummy in trump suit.

[The_Badger]

MrAce, on 2016-September-03, 03:15, said:

@ The_Badger

Actually if I played this hand vs humans, I would NEVER thought that he led trumps, holding Hx spade in front of 2♠ opener. IF anything I would play West for long spades Hxxx KQxx. And that is how I played. I played spade to dummy. Only thing that gives me advantage about knowing GIB is that with KQxx it will insert an honor. When I did not see honor I played it for holding Hxxx spade, or Hxx at worst but never thought of Hx spade when led trump.

I mean...who leads trump, when your LHO showed a 6 card suit and you hold Qx or Kx in front of it. You would be scared that they will clear trumps and due to your holding that 6 card suit is very likely to run.

Does that make sense?

Thanks for that MrAce. Your explanation makes perfect sense. It does make me wonder (and you too, no doubt) how GIB chooses leads, but I'll think we'll leave that topic until another day...