[Phil]

Here's a hand from our compact KO on Saturday:

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The opening lead is the ♠K, ducked. The ♠T is continued and RHO pitches the ♣3 which you are told is O/E.

Onward.

[billw55]

RHO pitched from dummy? Interesting.

[aguahombre]

billw55, on 2012-February-13, 10:01, said:

RHO pitched from dummy? Interesting.

Yes, it is a continuation of the thread on who may touch dummy's cards --in this case UI that he didn't have the 5, 7, or 9 of clubs and had to do something.

[G_R__E_G]

The best chance I can see is to hope that West overcalled with something like ♠KQJ10x ♥Jxx ♦x ♣10xxx. So after winning our ♠A we can lead the ♥Q. If East wins this we will have two heart entries to be able to take the diamond finesse and establish a club trick. If East refuses, we can win nine tricks without a club (1♠, 2♥, 6♦).

[mikeh]

G_R__E_G, on 2012-February-13, 10:59, said:

The best chance I can see is to hope that West overcalled with something like ♠KQJ10x ♥Jxx ♦x ♣10xxx. So after winning our ♠A we can lead the ♥Q. If East wins this we will have two heart entries to be able to take the diamond finesse and establish a club trick. If East refuses, we can win nine tricks without a club (1♠, 2♥, 6♦).

You are suggesting that RHO holds something like x Kxx Kxx AJxxxx and passed over the negative double when non-vulnerable. I can't imagine that happening.

I prefer to play LHO for the heart K.

Lead the heart Q, winning in dummy if it is covered. Exit the club K. If RHO ducks, lead the diamond Queen, scoring 1♠, 1♥, 1♣ and 6♦s.

if RHO wins the club A, and holds the heart J, he is endplayed.

I am therefore playing for the slightly more likely x Jxxx Kxx AJxxx/ x Jxx Kxx AJxxxx.

[Phil]

billw55, on 2012-February-13, 10:01, said:

RHO pitched from dummy? Interesting.

Sorry dummy had the 4, not the 3.

Your meaningful contribution to this thread is greatly appreciated though. Thanks!

[billw55]

Phil, on 2012-February-13, 12:57, said:

Sorry dummy had the 4, not the 3.

Your meaningful contribution to this thread is greatly appreciated though. Thanks!

Well, for all I knew, the typo was in the text, and RHO maybe pitched the ♣4, which would be entirely different as odd-even

[Phil]

billw55, on 2012-February-13, 13:15, said:

Well, for all I knew, the typo was in the text, and RHO maybe pitched the ♣4, which would be entirely different as odd-even

Great. I look forward to a well thought out and logical analysis based on how we can make the hand when LHO has the ♣A or when RHO has it since you have apparently considered the point.

[mikeh]

An alternative line would be to win the 2nd spade, and cash the diamond Ace. This has obvious advantages when LHO holds the stiff K. We cross to dummy in diamonds and establish a club.

We need RHO to hold the diamond K if it is not stiff. So we exit a diamond to the Q.

Assume 2-2. RHO wins and must lead a round suit. He is likely 1=4=2=6, since with Kx Axxxxxx, with or without the club J, he would probably have taken a call.

If he leads a heart, we play low, and LHO has to play the K, else we score 3 hearts tricks.

I am assuming that RHO would have taken a bid with 1=4=2=6/ 1=5=2=5 shape and both red Kings and the club A, altho I can see passing with the second layout.

We win and exit a club and RHO is again endplayed.

So if diamonds are 2-2, with K onside, or 1=3 with stiff K, we make via the A.

So assume 1=3. RHO wins the diamond because ducking sets up the same endplay, and exits a diamond, which we win in hand, perforce. I had thought of keeping the diamond Q in dummy should LHO show out (lead the diamond J), but then RHO just sticks us back in dummy and we get endplayed ourselves.

I don't think we can prevail from this point. The problem is that RHO is pitching behind dummy, so has a counter to whatever end position we get to after cashing diamonds, and we have to cash them due to a lack of entry.

My earlier line works on any 2=2 or 1=3 diamond break with the K onside, as long as LHO holds the heart K and RHO both the heart J and club Ace...the latter being almost for sure.

This revised line needs 2-2 diamonds or the stiff K offside. A priori, this revised line is significantly worse than the first. However, the lack of any bidding by RHO seems to me to shift the odds slightly.

I'd still go with my original line.

[bigbenvic]

Can you make it if the overcaller has the ♣A? I can't see a layout that makes with good defence except playing him for a stiff ♥K and not the ♦K.

The ♠T looks like a suit preference to me but he might be just showing how solid his suit is. So who do I believe?

Tough hand.

[Phil]

I like Mike's line a lot better than mine and I admit it did not occur to me. At the table I played a middle diamond from my hand. My hope was that RHO would win and likely return a diamond from Kx. I could win, and play a high club. RHO would win, and return a club. I would win, run my diamonds and LHO would strip squeezed.

Mike's line wins in all cases mine does. In addition, I am in terrible shape if RHO ducks from Kxx or if RHO finds a club duck (LHO can save a club in the endgame).

At the table if you happened to panic and play the ♦A you'd be successful! RHO has the stiff ♦K and LHO has the ♣A and the gets ground up on the run of the diamonds.

[kayin801]

w/r, RHO's failure to bid clubs as a passed hand combined with LHO's failure to bid 3♣ is very strange. Wonder if that means it sounds like RHO has some points and clubs but not the club A. Unfortunately I've already read the whole thread so it's hard to look at it objectively anymore.

[JLOGIC]

As people have become better at bidding over the years they have become worse at cardplay since they don't often have to play ridiculous contracts and try to make them. Luckily for the guy who bid 3H then 3N in this hand, that doesn't apply to him.