[kfay]

Scoring: MP

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South opens 2NT (agree?) and arrives in 4♠ after a Texas transfer.


Edited!!! :
West opens with the ♦J, Q, East taking his ace and South unblocking. A diamond runs back to board and you lead the ♠J up, Q, K, A.

Club return and then a spade to dummy East dropping the EIGHT.

What now?

[FrancesHinden]

I don't think this is exactly a restricted choice position; if RHO started with Q8x there's no reason not to play the 8 as it almost certainly can't cost - either you started with K9x or his partner started with A9x. Certainly RHO does not have 4 trumps, he would never have covered the SJ with 4.

If LHO started with 4 trumps, I should ruff a heart, play a club to hand and (if that holds up) the HA discarding a club followed by more clubs.

If LHO started with 3 trumps I should just play a trump.

I would be tempted to play for spades 4-2 because
i) it's a much flashier line, and
ii) RHO might not have covered the spade looking at Q8x.

What on earth was this DQ lead, which seems to have been from Qx?

I would have opened 1C. It's too likely we want to play a club contract to open 2NT.

[Fluffy]

It really looks like running clubs will work, but this is not a real restricted choice position, similar to Ax opposite KQ9xxx, RHO might just be playing the 8 for fun.

If playing online I would definitelly run the clubs, much prettier, but at high level competition it is better to jus tplay for the 3-3.

[Simplicity]

♦Q was an odd start from West!

Still looks like i can avoid a club ruff to run the clubs, so thats what i'd do, primarily because im not sure RHO would play the Q from Q8x, but would from Q8.

As for the opening i prefer 1♣

[kfay]

Not that it matters but W started with the ♦J, not the Q. Dummy had the Q. my mistake.

[FrancesHinden]

I'm not entirely sure what inference to take from a Jx diamond lead rather than a heart lead, particularly as it seems the auction was 2NT P 4H P 4S and 4H was not doubled, so LHO must have some pretty good hearts.

One might argue that a doubleton lead with 4 trumps is very unlikely and thus trumps are more likely to be 3-3.

[gnasher]

From where you are now, in dummy with one round of clubs already played, the trump coup needs LHO to have three clubs - you need to cross once to ruff a heart, and a second time to run the clubs.

If you were going to play for the trump coup, you should you should have ruffed a heart on the previous trick. That takes away one of Frances's reasons for playing the trump coup - a misplayed trump coup gets no kudos at all.

[kfay]

Right. I realize this now... BUT!! If you had ruffed a ♥ then played the ♠10, felling the 8... I guess this is the question I'm concerned with.

[FrancesHinden]

gnasher, on May 8 2008, 03:37 PM, said:

From where you are now, in dummy with one round of clubs already played, the trump coup needs LHO to have three clubs - you need to cross once to ruff a heart, and a second time to run the clubs.

If you were going to play for the trump coup, you should you should have ruffed a heart on the previous trick. That takes away one of Frances's reasons for playing the trump coup - a misplayed trump coup gets no kudos at all.

That's true, my line did involve leading from the wrong hand.

[gnasher]

I'd play for trumps 4=2. The inference that East wouldn't cover from Q8x or Q98 seems stronger than anything about West's hand. In any case, leading from Jx is bizarre whatever his hand is.

[kgr]

gnasher, on May 8 2008, 04:54 PM, said:

I'd play for trumps 4=2. The inference that East wouldn't cover from Q8x or Q98 seems stronger than anything about West's hand. In any case, leading from Jx is bizarre whatever his hand is.

Agree.
If I'm RHO and have Q8x I would never cover the J here.
Declarer can have AKxx?