[awm]

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You are East. IMPs, strong opponents. Lead agreement is 3rd/low against suits if it matters.

1. ♣4-♣J-♣Q-♣5

What do you play for?

[MrAce]

Declarer showed 5-5 majors, right ? And pd would led smallest from a 5 card suit ? If so declarer is 5512. It would be helpful what xfering to hearts first and then bidding spades at 3 level would show. If it is the same shape but stronger or weaker version ?

Anywway i think we need to get 2 heart tricks, so pd must have something like AT or Ax heart and declarer needs to misguess hearts. I could play back a club before our club trick goes bye bye on diamonds and hope to get 2 more tricks.

Alternative defense strategy could be to create a losing option for declarer, even when there was none. If we do not cash our 2nd club trick on purpose, we then may convince declarer to discard a club on diamonds. He has 2 ways to do it and he may as well choose the wrong one for down one. But how likely he will buy that ? I mean only someone who is not scared of diamonds can delay his club trick, so i think he wouldn't go wrong. But Who knows ? Also declarer may also be 6502 in which case he doesnt even have a wrong choice in diamonds.

Most likely scenario is at 4.56 am, coming from work, i am missing something obvious

[Fluffy]

My thoughts were almost the same as MrAce, we can play mind games playing ♠Q now creating some weird image that spades don't break, but in real life I think I would just cash my club trick before its too late, because declarer has no way to missgues hearts even when partner has ♥A10, but he has a way to missguess diamonds if I don't give him a free choice (or even play for a spade ruff in dummy) unless he has ♠J10xxx in wich case diamonds aren't needed.

[sieong]

Thanks to all the replies. The full hand was:

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At the table I went for a low ♠ shift, hoping that declarer will either misguess ♦ or believe my count in ♠ and allow me to overruff dummy. It turned out to be a weak defense and did not trouble declarer at all. Cashing the ♣A would have forced declarer to guess ♦ to make the contract.

Mr. Ace made a good point about by not cashing the ♣A, East is giving away the position of ♦K. On the other hand, West has underled the ♣A and declarer did not know that. Assuming that declarer placed the ♣A with East, is there an argument for the ♦K to be more likely with West based on restricted choice (if West is going to lead from an honorless suit, he is more likely to have led from the one suit with which he has no honor, rather than holding two suits without honor), or is that invalid?

Thanks.

[MrAce]

As i said, by not cashing second club, we may be telling declarer the location of ♦K. Since we always would have cashed 2nd ♣ if we didn't have it (after all declarer may have stiff K or can finesse pd)

Another thing is, declarer doesn't know yet the spade Q is coming on 2nd round. Pd taking the club Ace and playing diamond, as you already said, will give him some serious headache.

[Lord Molyb]

Cash the club Ace and then your partner can exit with a club. If he leads a spade instead then declarer is more likely to place him with the Heart K.