Hugh Kelsey wrote an excellent tome “Those Extra Chances in Bridge” and this looks like a prime example. SA, SK or SQ alone with West are obviously more likely though and, with the rest of the cards lying as shown, imagine South ducks a trump. West takes his singleton SQ and plays another Heart. South wins, leads the D10 and runs it (West covering may change matters) then plays CAKQ, ruffs a club, cashes the DA and leads the HQ. East ruffs high, South dumping his D and now what? I think East has to either lead a trump when life is easy or play a club which South ruffs low in hand and over-ruffs on table before leading another H or even a trump.
There may be other ramifications but I think maybe that SJ play, although effective, got lucky despite the extra chance of West taking it with AQ10x. KQ10x or AK10x – although they might well have doubled then. Can’t argue with success though.
Why did North use Stayman instead of transferring then bidding 3S with 5-4 though. Very curious.
Regards,
Iain
bobbywolffJanuary 17th, 2024 at 2:32 pm
Hi Iain,
Methinks declarer, is concentrating more on avoiding the diamond finesse than he is on the remote (but real) singleton trump, and what card that singleton happens to be. Therein he decides to start out by hoping his low trump goes around to East, so that he is not forced to deal with that choice, although he probably will then play the ace followed by three rounds of clubs.
And to then answer your pertinent question about the bidding, it depends on the partnership understandings on dealing with 5-4 (majors) when partner opens NT. A good question by you, but the word description we are subject to, sometimes keeps us from delving deeper into random other problems.
David SnookJanuary 17th, 2024 at 7:32 pm
Wow…
What a wonderfully complicated hand…
The only solution I could find was to immediately play the spade jack from declarer’s hand after winning the heart lead w/ one of my honors.
Luckily, the jack trump pulls the ten from West and gives East the choice of either taking my ten with an honor or letting me keep the trick. Either way, it looks like I’ve accomplished what I needed to.
Yes, East will take three tricks with the spade honors held but then what?
By leading my jack first and pulling the ten from West, I’ve eliminated a possible fatal fourth trick for East-West in trump and have also preserved my entry to dummy for discards on dummy’s high hearts.
It looks like I need to lose the spade nine at one point, so I can get back to the dummy in the end with the eight?
I haven’t looked at your explanation yet, Bobby…
Where would be the honor and fun in that?
And I’d like to thank you for your continuing feedback when I blunder around on your blog, trying to figure the hands out you put up. Thank you for your generosity and encouragement.
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Hi Bobby,
Hugh Kelsey wrote an excellent tome “Those Extra Chances in Bridge” and this looks like a prime example. SA, SK or SQ alone with West are obviously more likely though and, with the rest of the cards lying as shown, imagine South ducks a trump. West takes his singleton SQ and plays another Heart. South wins, leads the D10 and runs it (West covering may change matters) then plays CAKQ, ruffs a club, cashes the DA and leads the HQ. East ruffs high, South dumping his D and now what? I think East has to either lead a trump when life is easy or play a club which South ruffs low in hand and over-ruffs on table before leading another H or even a trump.
There may be other ramifications but I think maybe that SJ play, although effective, got lucky despite the extra chance of West taking it with AQ10x. KQ10x or AK10x – although they might well have doubled then. Can’t argue with success though.
Why did North use Stayman instead of transferring then bidding 3S with 5-4 though. Very curious.
Regards,
Iain
Hi Iain,
Methinks declarer, is concentrating more on avoiding the diamond finesse than he is on the remote (but real) singleton trump, and what card that singleton happens to be. Therein he decides to start out by hoping his low trump goes around to East, so that he is not forced to deal with that choice, although he probably will then play the ace followed by three rounds of clubs.
And to then answer your pertinent question about the bidding, it depends on the partnership understandings on dealing with 5-4 (majors) when partner opens NT. A good question by you, but the word description we are subject to, sometimes keeps us from delving deeper into random other problems.
Wow…
What a wonderfully complicated hand…
The only solution I could find was to immediately play the spade jack from declarer’s hand after winning the heart lead w/ one of my honors.
Luckily, the jack trump pulls the ten from West and gives East the choice of either taking my ten with an honor or letting me keep the trick. Either way, it looks like I’ve accomplished what I needed to.
Yes, East will take three tricks with the spade honors held but then what?
By leading my jack first and pulling the ten from West, I’ve eliminated a possible fatal fourth trick for East-West in trump and have also preserved my entry to dummy for discards on dummy’s high hearts.
It looks like I need to lose the spade nine at one point, so I can get back to the dummy in the end with the eight?
I haven’t looked at your explanation yet, Bobby…
Where would be the honor and fun in that?
And I’d like to thank you for your continuing feedback when I blunder around on your blog, trying to figure the hands out you put up. Thank you for your generosity and encouragement.