Single dummy, if West leads Ace and another club (hello Mrs. Guggenheim) how would you play the hand? Obviously it is very easy seeing all 4 hands and given that East has CQx.
If East had CQ10x of course, plus 4 or more spades, then he can be squashed flat in the black suits (although not if he has CQxx when dummy has to pitch a black card first).
The CA may seem a bit simple-minded or even absurd (I’d have led the DK – what do I know) but South would surely treat a holding like Qxx(x) as an asset after North opens 1C so there is a chance that East has a singleton club. Anyone cunning enough to lead a small club is either a rabbit, genius or has seen the hand records…..
Regards,
Iain
A V Ramana RaoOctober 28th, 2022 at 10:52 am
Hi lain
Small club lead doesn’t help defense. South goes with his plan. Hop up K, draw trumps, pitch diamond on third spade, ruff spade, diamond to A, ruff diamond and club and West can choose who gets endplayed . In fact, south prevails on any lead provided that he places club honors correctly and he might just do it as there is no other option
Regards
Iain ClimieOctober 28th, 2022 at 11:20 am
Hi AVRR,
TBF South could play West for CQ10xx(x) on a small club lead and duck at T1 which would work well if East had CAx(x). I want declarer’s lottery numbers for this week though!
Regards,
Iain
Iain ClimieOctober 28th, 2022 at 11:34 am
Also, if West has seen the hand records and had CQ108x(x) they’d lead the C10 as a surround play but make it look like they’d dropped it by accident…
Iain
Bobby WolffOctober 28th, 2022 at 1:56 pm
Hi Iain & AVRR,
Yes, between the two of you, little needs to be said, but rather just glow in the light
left by the granting of a miracle brought off by declarer.
Sadly, it reminds me of a critical hand played in the finals of a Bermuda Bowl (1975), played at the 25th anniversary right there in Bermuda, when during the last session with the USA playing Italy, the Italians bid to a grand slam in clubs while holding only J9xxxx in clubs opposite AQ doubleton, but found the K10 doubleton onside to win by the margin created on that hand.
Maury Braunstein, the chief tournament director, told me later that he had found the room where the boards were kept, unlocked that morning, but it was too late to do much about it and just hoped for the best. He and others, including I, may instead have gotten the worst.
A V Ramana RaoOctober 28th, 2022 at 2:29 pm
Hi Dear Mr Wolff
That deal of course made history. To quote Kantar ( may not be verbatim) . Seeing club K 10 in hand after Belladonna bid clubs and landed in Grand, Kantar told himself: why, God is not Italian after all and was euphoric thinking that he was setting the contract as club A must be with Belladonna but when dummy tabled, he found that it had A Q doubleton clubs. His thoughts went: God certainly appears to be Italian. And notwithstanding the lay of cards, hade Kantar played K when club was led, declarer Belladonna admitted that he would have gone for the trump coup and would have gone down. This deal had all the ingredients of a thriller movie and the denouement was perhaps bitter for US.
Regards
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Hi Bobby,
Single dummy, if West leads Ace and another club (hello Mrs. Guggenheim) how would you play the hand? Obviously it is very easy seeing all 4 hands and given that East has CQx.
If East had CQ10x of course, plus 4 or more spades, then he can be squashed flat in the black suits (although not if he has CQxx when dummy has to pitch a black card first).
The CA may seem a bit simple-minded or even absurd (I’d have led the DK – what do I know) but South would surely treat a holding like Qxx(x) as an asset after North opens 1C so there is a chance that East has a singleton club. Anyone cunning enough to lead a small club is either a rabbit, genius or has seen the hand records…..
Regards,
Iain
Hi lain
Small club lead doesn’t help defense. South goes with his plan. Hop up K, draw trumps, pitch diamond on third spade, ruff spade, diamond to A, ruff diamond and club and West can choose who gets endplayed . In fact, south prevails on any lead provided that he places club honors correctly and he might just do it as there is no other option
Regards
Hi AVRR,
TBF South could play West for CQ10xx(x) on a small club lead and duck at T1 which would work well if East had CAx(x). I want declarer’s lottery numbers for this week though!
Regards,
Iain
Also, if West has seen the hand records and had CQ108x(x) they’d lead the C10 as a surround play but make it look like they’d dropped it by accident…
Iain
Hi Iain & AVRR,
Yes, between the two of you, little needs to be said, but rather just glow in the light
left by the granting of a miracle brought off by declarer.
Sadly, it reminds me of a critical hand played in the finals of a Bermuda Bowl (1975), played at the 25th anniversary right there in Bermuda, when during the last session with the USA playing Italy, the Italians bid to a grand slam in clubs while holding only J9xxxx in clubs opposite AQ doubleton, but found the K10 doubleton onside to win by the margin created on that hand.
Maury Braunstein, the chief tournament director, told me later that he had found the room where the boards were kept, unlocked that morning, but it was too late to do much about it and just hoped for the best. He and others, including I, may instead have gotten the worst.
Hi Dear Mr Wolff
That deal of course made history. To quote Kantar ( may not be verbatim) . Seeing club K 10 in hand after Belladonna bid clubs and landed in Grand, Kantar told himself: why, God is not Italian after all and was euphoric thinking that he was setting the contract as club A must be with Belladonna but when dummy tabled, he found that it had A Q doubleton clubs. His thoughts went: God certainly appears to be Italian. And notwithstanding the lay of cards, hade Kantar played K when club was led, declarer Belladonna admitted that he would have gone for the trump coup and would have gone down. This deal had all the ingredients of a thriller movie and the denouement was perhaps bitter for US.
Regards