rainbow@ihuxe.UUCP (06/12/84)
S:AK96
H:K62
D:54
C:AK95
S:53
H:985
D:AQ76
C:JT43
contract:3NT
lead:QH which you duck
JH which you also duck
4H which east wins with the Ace
JD exit by east
Whats your best line of play?
East doubled north's 1C opener.
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A likely distribution for east is 4-3-4-2. East is also likely to hold
most if not all of the outstanding high card points. So play east for
the KJD, QC, and 2 of the top three spade honors. Proceed as follows:
Finesse the QD. Cash the AKC dropping the J from your hand. Lead the
9C.
A)if east pitches a diamond, follow low. Lead diamond from dummy
forcing east to win the KD as you set up the fourth diamond for
the contract (using the TC as an entry).
B)if east pitches a spade, overtake. Finesse the 9S if west allows it.
The fourth spade is now good for the contract. If west plays an honor,
cash the AK of spades and exit with a spade hoping east must win it.
Use the 5C as an entry to cash the fourth spade for the contract.halle1@houxz.UUCP (J.HALLE) (06/12/84)
A slight variation on Rob's line: Although it is likely that east has the queen of clubs, it is not certain. So when leading the clubs, lead the J. If west covers, then follow Rob's line. If west follows low, you must judge where the queen is. If you play west for it, say if he hesitates noticibly, finesse, then play AK of clubs. If east discards a diamond, duck a diamond as in Rob's solution. If east throws a spade, lead the fourth club, winning in hand. Now lead a spade, ducking to east. If east has an honor, he can defeat you by rising with it, so you need east to have all three, though if west was poor enough to telegraph the club, he probably is not good enough to play high on the spade. Thus the exact line depends a good deal on table feel. With nothing else to go on, Rob's line is probably best, since it requires only three cards to be right, as opposed to this line which requires four.