[manudude03]

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A curious hand that I was defending a few days ago. You get the ♠4 lead (2/4 leads). Plan the play. If you play low from dummy, it will hold.

[gszes]

If I am declaring I would exit trick 2 with a small club going for the 32 split and not worry too much about blockages. Who knows, Rho looking at KQTx might even "mistakenly" insert the T.

[Tramticket]

I guess that the danger is that although you can "see" nine tricks (four spades, four hearts and you develop one in diamonds) you will create a heart loser if the hearts are 5-3 or worse and might lose a heart, a diamond and three clubs.

My first thought was to win trick one in dummy and continue with a spade to the ace (without unblocking the J♥), then lead a club towards the eight. attempting to establish two club tricks, one diamond, two hearts and four spades. If (say) East wins and returns a heart, you win in hand and cash one more heart before playing a second club - but a further heart might be fatal, if the player with the long hearts has the ace of diamonds.

So I'm sort of agreeing with gszes - you may as well just hope for clubs 3-2. and duck a club at trick two. But the danger now is that west wins cheaply and pushes a diamond through.

[manudude03]

gszes, on 2019-March-25, 06:26, said:

If I am declaring I would exit trick 2 with a small club going for the 32 split and not worry too much about blockages. Who knows, Rho looking at KQTx might even "mistakenly" insert the T.

Tramticket, on 2019-March-25, 06:38, said:

I guess that the danger is that although you can "see" nine tricks (four spades, four hearts and you develop one in diamonds) you will create a heart loser if the hearts are 5-3 or worse and might lose a heart, a diamond and three clubs.My first thought was to win trick one in dummy and continue with a spade to the ace (without unblocking the J♥), then lead a club towards the eight. attempting to establish two club tricks, one diamond, two hearts and four spades. If (say) East wins and returns a heart, you win in hand and cash one more heart before playing a second club - but a further heart might be fatal, if the player with the long hearts has the ace of diamonds.So I'm sort of agreeing with gszes - you may as well just hope for clubs 3-2. and duck a club at trick two. But the danger now is that west wins cheaply and pushes a diamond through.

Say you do play like that and RHO wins the ♣T and leads a heart, do you persist with clubs?