Hi Dear Mr Wolff
Perhaps declarer should have realised that he has at the most two losers in trumps but can curtail the losers by one if either opponent has stiff Q. ( Stiff A doesn’t help)So instead of ruffing diamond at T2, he should have played spade K from dummy. West of course wins and if he finds the club shift, there’s nothing much declarer can do but west might just return another diamond. Declarer ruffs and stays a tempo ahead. He returns trump. West wins but now the club shift would be too late as declarer can duck . East can win but cannot do any damage. If he returns club, dummy wins, south comes to hand with heart A to draw outstanding trump and clubs can take care of the heart loser. Instead, if east returns heart, south wins, draw trump and play clubs to dispose heart loser. And if west returns heart after winning second trump, south draws trump and leads heart and now the club loser disappears.
Regards

Hi AVRR,

Thanks for your detailed description of what should have led the declarer to win the day, if and when West would have found the early club shift. Yes, I definitely agree with you about the unlikelihood of West finding an early club shift, but what would have happened, like so many times, will never be known. However the discussion, led by you, has always been more than worthwhile, since practicality is and will always reverberate, whenever very good players match wits.

Always thanks to your thoughtful contributions since the thinking you provide will
give all players, worthy of improving their best game, will, no doubt, seriously take
your advice, learning as they go.

Hi AVRR,

Thanks always for your always clearly explained view as to what is best to first think and then act, to which you so rightly and normally figure correctly on the nose.

Hi again AVRR,

At first I thought I had lost my first description of your right-on reply, but since I had not seen it (it had not appeared) I ventured a shorter description. At any rate, thank you much.

Hi AVRR,

You realise TOCM would give Jim2’s LHO SAQ alone especially at pairs. I presume the best line with Kxx opposite J109xxx or Kxxx vs J109xx may be different.

Surprising to see the old-fashioned use of 1C (P) 3S though rather than a splinter.

Regards

Iain

Hi Iain,

To answer your particular debate of what 1 of a suit, Pass, 3 of a suit should mean, at least IMO, is that over an initial 1 of a minor Pass, 3 of a major should show length in the major and a moderate hand, while 1 of a major, 3 of the minor a strong jump shift, or either a singleton in that suit with good support for partner.

IOW, capitalizing on which type hand is more frequent for catering to the difference between trying to have to take fewer tricks for game, when holding different numbers of lengths with both majors and minors together with combined lengths of suits making the result more practical for constructive bidding.

Hopefully I have done enough to convey my thoughts and do not need to offer
more unnecessary rhetoric.