[badderzboy]

Scoring: MP

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We were playing ACOL and finished in 6NT on a 9♣ lead, West covers 10 ♣ with Jack.

Our bidding (opps silent) was
1NT(12-14) -3♥(slam try)
3NT(2 ♥not max) -4♣(Gerber)
4♥(1 KC) -4NT(King Ask)-
5♥(2Ks) -6NT

Play Info (hidden)

Clubs

Spoiler

West covers 10 ♣ with Jack, if you continue Clubs West shows out on 2nd round

Diamonds

Spoiler

West shows out on third round so no 4-3 split

Hearts

Spoiler

If you play K♥ then East drops J under the K

.

Finally Opps Hands were

Spoiler

West ♠K ♥QJ ♦ J982 ♣ 98742
East ♠J109542 ♥ 6542 ♦ 75 ♣ j

[whereagles]

At table I would play it like this: take club, cash AK of hearts. I'm hoping for 4 heart tricks and a squeeze or finesse for the 12th. Later I'll decide which, depending on the fall of the cards.

[coyot]

It seems that we're going to need the spade finesse unless we make 5 heart tricks.
(3 clubs, 3 diams, 4 hearts and 2 spades.)

Therefore we must immediately finesse spades and if this succeeds, ride 7 of hearts, unless it gets covered. Win return, cash king of hearts and clubs, cross with diamonds and hope that the other heart honor falls under the ace.

If spade finesse loses, we still have the small chance of QJ doubleton in hearts anywhere.

[coyot]

whereagles, on Sep 13 2005, 05:05 AM, said:

At table I would play it like this: take club, cash AK of hearts. I'm hoping for 4 heart tricks and a squeeze or finesse for the 12th. Later I'll decide which, depending on the fall of the cards.

Am I missing something? Squeeze without rectifying the count? (Not to mention that there is not much in the sense of communication - and which suit will you use for squeezing anyway?

[whereagles]

LOL, you're right. I just skimmed through the problem in 10 secs and didn't look at communications. Chalk up 1 down for me.

[FrancesHinden]

***** club lead

Chance of 2 tricks in spades = 50%
Chance of 4 tricks in diamonds = 52%

So assuming I manage 4 heart tricks, it's more likely that diamonds play for 4 tricks than spades for two.

The best chance of 4 tricks in hearts is, I believe, AK and another. However that cuts me off from the clubs. So I have two ways to get four heart tricks
i) cash three clubs first & hope the winner of the third heart can't cash any clubs
ii) duck a heart (i.e., low to the 7).


The problem with ducking a heart is that LHO can insert an honour from Hx (or HHx) and then play a spade through, and I've given up my extra chance of Jx in diamonds.

Anyway, it can't hurt to cash a second club discarding a spade before I commit myself elsewhere, so I do that... and RHO discards. I have the choice of third club, King of hearts and a heart towards dummy, or two top diamonds and a heart towards hand.

Having seen all the hands, I'm going to make now. But at the table I would have a choice of diamonds 3-3 (with everyone having followed twice) or the spade finesse, if West found a spade return.

[Echognome]

Just a question about the bidding. If you play 4♣ as Gerber, why is 4NT a king ask? I thought the one advantage of playing Gerber is that you can sign off in 4NT if you are missing too many keycards. Does that mean that once your partner bid Gerber, you are committed to slam unless your partner decides to pass your ace asking response? Or is 4♠ here a "transfer" to 4NT to sign-off? Either way seems a bit strange.

[Fluffy]

♣A, ♥ to the 10 and then ♠ finese after cashing ♣s