Hi Dear Mr Wolff
Doubledummy , perhaps there is even another way to come home. Win the lead, ruff a heart, pitch losing heart on diamond A and ruff third club. If east overruffs, south ruffs the red suit return and draws outstanding trump and his clubs are high. If east doesn’t overruff, south makes seven. Clearly this line needs the hand with doubleton club must have four card spade else south goes down as he loses trump control
And perhaps NS could have been in six clubs which is foolproof.
Regards

Hi AVRR,

Yes, your stated line of play would, at least in my judgment, be the more chosen line of play, at least by a competent declarer.

However, the column choice could be one to which, with eyes remaining open, enable a lesser experienced player, usually meaning younger, but with talent, to also see a forest which, and of course, included trees.

To each his own and with this one, it could likely be computed to which line was mathematically more likely to work.

However that job needs to be done by someone other than yours truly.

Thanks, as always, for playing the important to critical role, of passing scrutiny, while issuing alternative and successful bridge educational choices.

AVRR –

If East declines to over-ruff, how does South make seven? (or even 6?)

Hi Jim2,

Yes, obviously both AVRR and I forgot about the opening leader taking a trump entry back to hand away, with his opening lead.

Thanks for setting the record straight and for my game of wondering just who else is paying rapt attention.

If you believe that, there happens to be a bridge (object, not a game) I would think about selling to someone.

Your column text addresses that pitfall of that line of play both precisely and directly, so I was wondering what AVRR had spotted that I (and your text) had missed.

What a thing of beauty that solution was!

I found the ‘trump a club before a heart’ line but completely missed the ‘duck a club at trick two’ line… which is really superior, IMHO…

Happy New Year, all!

You’re a terrific bunch of teachers and I thank you all for the insights you so readily share, week after week.

And a special thank you to you, Bobby. Over the past year, you’ve been incredibly generous to me w/ both your knowledge and encouragement.

Talk to you in the new year!

Hi Bobby,

Another point on BWTA is that opening 1C is very unlikely to end the auction and opponents (after 1C P P) may well re-open then hit a cold game out of disbelief.

Happy New Year to everyone, as we’ve hit it UK tome now.

Regards

Iain

Hi Jim2, Iain, Jim2, AVRR, & David,

Yes, Happy New Year to everyone and everything, except the pandemic.

Thanks to David for tuning in, with the promise by us of being more observant,
and, of course me, listening to what I originally say, rather than what I follow-up.

No doubt Iain spouts the truth by allowing more bidding room for really strong distributional hands, instead of starting the auction at the two level.

The more comments we get seemingly helps our overall learning, even if one or more of them appear questionable.

And speaking of questionable, refer to my immediately above salutation. It could be worse, such as Jim’s name being Jim3.

Hi Jim2
Somehow I thought that a heart is led. You will note that my narration conforms to a heart lead. On a spade lead, of course ducking club is best as if you ruff a heart and club, there is no entry to hand for drawing trumps. And reflecting belatedly, perhaps even on a heart lead, ducking club is a better percentage play as in the line I mentioned, it needs the hand with doubleton club to hold three or four spades. If he ruffs with his doubleton spade, declarer goes down while on ducking club at T2, he prevails even if someone holds doubleton in both black suits. Clubs of course need to be 2-3 either way in both lines else declarer always goes down
And A Happy New Year
Regards