[pescetom]

MP

---

[edit: auction fixed to the exact sequence at table]


The bidding here can go many ways according to opponents' agreements and aggressivity, but let's assume South bid this way and in West you opt for 3NT rather than an iffy clubs adventure.
You receive a ♠9 lead.
Your plan now to bring the contract home?

[thepossum]

Has nobody commented yet?

For what its worth I am leading either a small club or diamond for a finesse next

EDIT was just thinking. You could lead clubs from the top - being careful not to block of course?? no idea how many good and bad combinations of honours there are

What happens next???

EDIT 2 Anxiously waiting on other comments

[P_Marlowe]

Hi,

I would start with the Ace of clubs, followup with the 10, and will create at least one entry,
to dummy, if I am lucky, I will have two.

The plan is to finesse for the king of diamonds against West, i.e. trying to play diamonds for 0
looser and clubs for only one, I will at most loose 2 hearts.

With kind regards
Marlowe

[P_Marlowe]

thepossum, on 2024-November-07, 18:43, said:

Has nobody commented yet?

For what its worth I am leading either a small club or diamond for a finesse next

EDIT was just thinking. You could lead clubs from the top - being careful not to block of course?? no idea how many good and bad combinations of honours there are

What happens next???

EDIT 2 Anxiously waiting on other comments

Playing clubs from top is best to have only 1 looser, even with unlimited entries, and as it is you have very limited entries,
basically you catch any singleton honor, 2-2 does not matter, and KJx vs. x, will most likely mean, given the limited amount of
entries, that they get 2 tricks anyway.

[pescetom]

P_Marlowe, on 2024-November-08, 04:24, said:

I would start with the Ace of clubs, followup with the 10, and will create at least one entry,
to dummy, if I am lucky, I will have two.

The plan is to finesse for the king of diamonds against West, i.e. trying to play diamonds for 0
looser and clubs for only one, I will at most loose 2 hearts.

Thanks for the reply, hope we get more.
I had the auction slightly wrong (although quite possible), please check if the natural hearts bid makes any difference to your thinking.

If you start with ♣A (as I did at the table) then both opps follow with a small club.
If you continue with ♣T then

Spoiler

South discards a spade and North covers with ♣J.
He now leads ♥A and another heart.

[smerriman]

Based on the original bidding, I was going to post that a low diamond to the J looked tempting, since it immediately gives us an entry to dummy along with setting up diamond tricks. However, you then go down if South has the ♣K, and if clubs are 3-1 the finesse didn't really achieve much and you're also going down if South has the ♥A.

So I agree with P_Marlowe about playing club Ace and another, which fails if South has the ♦K, but works otherwise (unless North has Kxxx-KJx in the minors in which case you only have 8 tricks, though I'm not sure if South would bid 2♠ with either QJxxxx-xxxx-xx-x or QJxxxx-Axxx-xx-x).

But I'm baffled by the new bidding. The only time I've considered opening a weak 2 then freely bid another suit was with 6-5 shape (though Michaels was an option here). If South has QJxxxx-Qxxxx-x-x then double dummy tells me the only hope is playing a low minor at trick 2 (doesn't matter which), then dropping the ♥K under North's A to generate another entry to dummy. If that's the play, I suspect this post is in the wrong forum If South has this shape without the queen, then hearts are blocked so we're no longer in danger following your existing line, just play another club.

[pescetom]

smerriman, on 2024-November-08, 13:15, said:

But I'm baffled by the new bidding. The only time I've considered opening a weak 2 then freely bid another suit was with 6-5 shape (though Michaels was an option here).

At the table I was surprised too, but it was not alerted (which I trusted) and after the auction explained as natural, undiscussed.
NS are a solid and inseperable pair with old-school agreements (a local strong club system with canape' developments): I took for granted that they had some bid for majors 5-5 but also that it would never be really weak. My conclusion FWIW was weak 6-4 or very weak 6-5.

I think the problem is significant both for I/A and Expert, although obviously their level of analysis will be different: my understanding of I/A was always that Experts are encouraged to offer their wisdom and I/A can give it a try and learn

[thepossum]

After the heart bid there is not much point. Could be lucky and stop it with your Jack
Some strange combination

[diana_eva]

thepossum, on 2024-November-07, 18:43, said:

...

EDIT 2 Anxiously waiting on other comments

I know it's not what you asked, but I love the title

[thepossum]

diana_eva, on 2024-November-09, 04:00, said:

I know it's not what you asked, but I love the title

[thepossum]

diana_eva, on 2024-November-09, 04:00, said:

I know it's not what you asked, but I love the title

Indeed but for those of us who missed a classical education we just had to infer the meaning

I sometimes feel at a disdvantage and risk saying something stupid

It's hard competing in such a world

[pilowsky]

Yes, it's a tangled shroud we weave when we practice to deceive.

[pescetom]

smerriman, on 2024-November-08, 13:15, said:

I was going to post that a low diamond to the J looked tempting, since it immediately gives us an entry to dummy along with setting up diamond tricks. However, you then go down if South has the ♣K, and if clubs are 3-1 the finesse didn't really achieve much and you're also going down if South has the ♥A.

So I agree with P_Marlowe about playing club Ace and another

After the many webs I threaded and unthreaded led nowhere and it was apparent my beloved contract would never return home, I too wondered if I should have played low to ♦J.

If you do, then

Spoiler

South takes with the King and returns a small heart.

[mike777]

Have no idea
KS then QC?
Next?
😁
Thought about it and think I doomed myself
Think KS small d to J better
Oh well.

[pescetom]

mike777, on 2024-November-09, 16:09, said:

Have no idea
KS then QC?
Next?
��

If you lead ♣Q then

Spoiler

South provides the 6 and North covers with K.
He then leads ♥A and another heart.
Hint

Spoiler

You are still in time to do what needs to be done

[mike777]

The hand I envisioned I would be down..
Anyway KH under ace then 9H
Next?

[pescetom]

mike777, on 2024-November-10, 15:40, said:

The hand I envisioned I would be down..
Anyway KH under ace then 9H
Next?

If you did surprise him with K under A, North would react

Spoiler

He would only continue hearts if you kept the K, otherwise he switches to ♠J which South covers with Q.

[mike777]

Ya. But he could continue spades when in with KC so I seemed doomed..
🙁 ☹️

Btw he led 9 of spades and has jack?
Too good for me...way better..

[pescetom]

mike777, on 2024-November-10, 16:21, said:

Ya. But he could continue spades when in with KC so I seemed doomed..

But he could see the hearts situation in his hand and dummy and he trusts his partner's bidding.

mike777, on 2024-November-10, 16:21, said:

Btw he led 9 of spades and has jack?
Too good for me...way better..

As TD I would object that this is a storm in a teacup, EW know they have AK432 and that opps are 6-2

[mike777]

I long thought south had KD
If stiff, a long shot, ok
Trying to figure out if Kx of D
How to legitimately make the contract after 9S lead..
At the table never figure it out in time.
Perhaps first lead D to knock out entry..
QJxxxx..Qxxx..KX..x. ???