[BasilZh]

93
KJ9
A102
J10985
AK105 J8642
A87 104
K54 Q97
K76 A43
Q7
Q6532
J863
Q2

N, EW, MP

p - p - p - 1nt(15-17) -
p - 2h - p - 3s -
p - 4s - all pass

lead : Jc

First, your comments on jump to 3s and then suggest the right play at the point where you've drawn two rounds of trumps, eliminated the hearts and played the last club. North then plays 10d.
Opponent are experts and well capable of deceptive plays.

[Free]

well, I would 've played like you said: play trump, eliminate H, and go out with the last C. The thing you want is that opponents to one of your top honours, so you don't lose a trick on that one (and especially when the play from under their ace). So that worked out pretty well I'd play low to my king (as I was playing for), because IF south has the ace, then I shouldn't have played with a throw in if I'm going to play the DQ here...

Extra analysis: from playing 2 times trump, 3 times H and 3 times C you know south's distribution. He has 5-4 in the reds (probably 5H after seing KJ with N) and 2-2 in the blacks. He has shown SQ, CQ and probably HQ. If he would also have DA he would certainly have opened in 3rd seat NV vs V with 2H (weak) or even 3H! That puts DA in North.

Btw: your only chance in this hand is DA with the hand thrown in (= N). So if you play the Q, you have to play from xx to Kx and you'll lose allways. Playing the Q is a lose-lose situation!

[the hog]

Nth had no option but to win the C. I would play Nth for the DA after eliminating side suits. Question: why aren't you in the stone motherless cold 3NT with a 4333 facing a 5332?

[Codo]

1. I like to bid superaccepts, but not the way, you did.
I prefer: 2 NT to show 4333 max
3 any : 4 spades 4 in that suit, max
3 Spade: 4 Spades, min

Then, it had been an idea to raise your 2 NT bid to 3 NT for your pd with his 5332 hand.

For the play: RHo showed you 4 black cards, so he has 9 red ones...from the play of the hearts, you can believe, that he has 5. I guess some good opps had bid 2 Heart with Qx,Qxxxxx;Axxxx,Qx in third hand.
This would be a clue, that North must have the ace.
There is another clue:
If you play the Queen, you win, if South has exactly AJxx. If you play low to the king, you win always when the ace is with North. A better chance.

Kind Regards

Roland

[inquiry]

93
KJ9
A102
J10985
AK105 J8642
A87 104
K54 Q97
K76 A43
Q7
Q6532
J863
Q2

N, EW, MP

p - p - p - 1nt(15-17) -
p - 2h - p - 3s -
p - 4s - all pass

lead : Jc

I second Rolands comments about superaccept. I use the direct jump to 3S over 2H to show 4 card support AND NOT A MAXIMUM, and 2NT/new suit to show 4 card support and a maximum. The 2NT response has a good chance of getting you to precisely 3NT.

Like everyone else, I would play north for the diamond ACE. The logic is sound. To play the DIAMOND QUEEN only works when South has DIAMOND AJ, but with sure heart QUEEN (North with H-KQJx would not have lead a club), and known club Q, and SPADE Queen, would give him a third seat opening bid with Qx Qxxxx AJxx Qx... Also, to play the queen requires two cards to be right (South with both AJ of diamonds), while playing low requires only one card being right (North with Diamond ACE) as Ron correctly noted.

NOTE TO FREE: You could still play South for the Diamond ACE by winning the king, and leading back towards the queen and playing the NINE.... That would work if WEST had DJTx instead of AJx. This will be your problem after you win the diamond KING. They have given you a losing option.

[Free]

Quote

NOTE TO FREE: You could still play South for the Diamond ACE by winning the king, and leading back towards the queen and playing the NINE.... That would work if WEST had DJTx instead of AJx. This will be your problem after you win the diamond KING. They have given you a losing option.

Yeah, but if you play the Q, you 'll ALLWAYS lose 2 D-tricks when N has the ace, because you don't have the D8, and you'll also lose 2 tricks if S has AJ. But then I wonder WHY North would play D10... once you play N for DA, you won't make the mistake of trying to make the D9.

The question was: HOW do you play? I say: even if you play against noobies, place the DA in north and play accordingly. So no mistake: small to the K and then small to the Q

[inquiry]

Quote

Yeah, but if you play the Q, you 'll ALLWAYS lose 2 D-tricks when N has the ace, because you don't have the D8, and you'll also lose 2 tricks if S has AJ.

Here you are half right. If North has the DIAMOND ACE, playing low is the right play. Simple. However, your statement that "you'll also lose 2 tricks if S has AJ. is wrong. This is why the TEN is a good play, it gives you a losing option. If South has the DIAMOND ACE-JACK, you must PLAY the queen and if South with D-AJ ducks, you simply lead towards your king. If south wins the ACE, he is enplayed. If he leads a low diamond, you let it "float" to the diamond 9 then win the diamond King. And if he leads the diamond jack you win those two diamond in the opposite order. And if he leads a heart? You get a ruff and a sluff.

If North had lead a low diamond, we would all have played low from dummy, and hoped North had the diamond King. North's play has at least given you losing options to consider.

[Free]

That was a typing error... I meant S with DA and N with DJ.

Lets look pure analytical to this hand:

With 10xx he (N) better plays a small one, because THEN you'll CERTAINLY let it run to your K and play small to the Q which gets the contract down. So playing the 10 just gives himself away. The only thing he can have is A10x or J10x. According to the bidding and playing I'd say he has the ace. But if we don't look at the bidding, who has the ace then? There are 4 possibilities for N's diamonds:

1) N has A10x: the better way to play it is small to K, small to the Q.
2) N has J10x: best is small to K and small to 9 or Q (depends if he puts the J at the table.
And the less impossible ones:
3) N has 10xx: play the Q and let small from South run to the 9.
4) N has AJ10: small to K and small to Q

Only the ridiculous play of 10 from 10xx lets you play the Q to win this contract. So we put small and take the king (75% chance). Now we're in for another problem: play to the Q or to the 9? If it's case 3, then you're already lost. In case 1 and 4 we play to the Q, in case 2 we play to the 9. Conclusion: play to the Q.

It's a 50% chance, but however you play different, you have only 25% chance.

Remark: if S has a 5-card D, then N has only 2D. If he has A10 he'll play the ace because otherwise he gives away the contract, if he has J10 your D9 will be the 2nd D trick. With 10x, again, you lose playing this way...

(The percentages are rufly taken )

[inquiry]

Quote

That was a typing error... I meant S with DA and N with DJ.

Lets look pure analytical to this hand:

With 10xx he (N) better plays a small one, because THEN you'll CERTAINLY let it run to your K and play small to the Q which gets the contract down. So playing the 10 just gives himself away. The only thing he can have is A10x or J10x. According to the bidding and playing I'd say he has the ace. But if we don't look at the bidding, who has the ace then? There are 4 possibilities for N's diamonds:

1) N has A10x: the better way to play it is small to K, small to the Q.
2) N has J10x: best is small to K and small to 9 or Q (depends if he puts the J at the table.
And the less impossible ones:
3) N has 10xx: play the Q and let small from South run to the 9.
4) N has AJ10: small to K and small to Q

Only the ridiculous play of 10 from 10xx lets you play the Q to win this contract. So we put small and take the king (75% chance). Now we're in for another problem: play to the Q or to the 9? If it's case 3, then you're already lost. In case 1 and 4 we play to the Q, in case 2 we play to the 9. Conclusion: play to the Q.

It's a 50% chance, but however you play different, you have only 25% chance.

Remark: if S has a 5-card D, then N has only 2D. If he has A10 he'll play the ace because otherwise he gives away the contract, if he has J10 your D9 will be the 2nd D trick. With 10x, again, you lose playing this way...

(The percentages are rufly taken )

First. as you can see from my initial reply, I don't play the queen on this hand (see my initial response), but rather play low and back to the queen. But that is based upon bridge logic.

But second, you made statements in two earlier post that simply were not true. The one I quoted which is now clearly a typo... and in the earlier post where you said essentially the same thing, which was ""Btw: your only chance in this hand is DA with the hand thrown in (= N). So if you play the Q, you have to play from xx to Kx and you'll lose allways. Playing the Q is a lose-lose situation!". I guess that one is a VERY LONG typo. So while I was agreeing with you that the correct bridge play is low the king and low back to the queen, I was trying to point out the flaw in the logic that "playing the Q is a lose-lose situation". In fact, if bridge logic made me believe that South held the diamond ACE, I would have to do quite some sole searching. If North has diamond JTx the correct play is low, if South has AJx the correct play is to cover with QUEEN. It was the characterization that playing the QUEEN was a lose-lose that prompted the first comment, and then the statement (typo) that if South had the AJ you could never make. In fact, once the TEN is lead, you can always make if you guess the location of the missing diamond honors correctly. That is, now your correct your typo to say that the "hand can not be made if South had the Diamond ACE and north has the Diamond JACK, you are still wrong. Float the Tent to the King and hook the nine on the way back.

So my point was, your quick analysis of the ending giving a specific play as a lose-lose situation mistates the chances to make if you play the queen.

Now to your comment that it is stupid to lead the TEN from Txx misses a few saliant points. First, and foremost, the location of the heart 8. If West held T83, and lead the 3, South is forced to play the JACK or the seven wins. Now, you can lead low back towards the Q9 and apply restricted choice if you like as an option, hooking the TEN. Thus making when South holds the AJ by playing low if north leads low. Also, even if South held AJ8, it would take nerves of steel to insert the 8 on the 7. So North looking at T32 might give you a winning option by leading low if south isn't up to inserting the 8. As far as your comment if North leads low, clearly no one plays the diamond queen then. But you discussed queen or nine, the correct play is clearly the diamond 7 based upon several reasons outlined above.

Ben