[Trumpace]

Read this in some (old) book recently (don't remember which book though).

Playing Matchpoints (against good opponents) you reach 6S. West leads the DK. (Sorry Auction is unknown/don't remember).

Lead DK.

---

Hearts are 3-3 and West has the singleton Trump.

How will you guess clubs?

[CSGibson]

Without any more information, and playing matchpoints, my goal would be to make it attractive to take the ace of clubs, or to provoke a telling pause. I am therefore coming to hand with 1 spade and playing a club up. I don't want to pull two rounds of trump & help them count the hand, and I don't want to ruff a diamond to hand because the illusion of a diamond winner to cash may be enough to cause lefty to consider having to play me for 7-3-2-1 shape

[billw55]

I will try drawing trump in two rounds, cash four hearts, and lead a small spade from my hand. Perhaps LHO will be expecting a small club and I can get a read on him. If no luck there, back to hand with a diamond ruff and cash one more trump (the jack of course, I must stay in hand). Now I will think over their pitches .. are these players weak enough to give honest signals? Or devious enough to give false ones?

... and eventually I will get tired of these mind games and just guess.


edit: I like CSG's reasoning to not ruff a diamond. So back to hand with a trump instead.

[Phil]

A few ideas.

1. Win the diamond, play a spade to your J and cash the Ace. If LHO shows out and RHO has T-x, then lead a club.

2. Cash the ♥K-A and lead a club up. LHO might grab the bait and try for -2 hoping his partner has the ♠A.

3. Play a spade to the Ace and lead a club right away.

Add your own histrionics, depending on your personal tolerance of sleaziness.

Note: In every variation, cashing hearts first is a very bad idea.

[phil_20686]

Surely the point is that if lho has the KQ d and the ace of clubs, he cannot have diamond length, as most would do something with KQxxxx!d and the club A. where as fewer would bid with KQxxxx!d and the club queen.

Some might even double one spade with x xxx KQJxx Axxx,

[Trumpace]

Reasonable answers above.

Here is the book answer, which I found interesting enough to post here.

They recommend drawing trumps, cashing 4 rounds of hearts and discarding the _diamond_ from dummy on the 4th heart and lead a club up.

Now LHO will place you with a doubleton diamond and singleton club, and will hop up with the club A if he has it, fearing you will make 13 tricks...

[nigel_k]

How old is the book? Maybe it is from before count signals were invented. But I suppose this could work sometimes.

[Trumpace]

nigel_k, on 2012-August-02, 02:05, said:

How old is the book? Maybe it is from before count signals were invented. But I suppose this could work sometimes.

According to the book(published in 1960), this actually happened at the table (did not mention which year), and west did hop up with the A. The book also mentions that West _was_ one of the world's greatest players.

The book is: "Psychological Strategy in Contract Bridge" by Fred Karpin.

Also, my comment in my last post of "recommended" line is inaccurate. It is more like a report of a deceptive play.

[rduran1216]

thats actually a good idea, nice deceptive play

[cherdano]

Is there any good pair today where East wouldn't give count at trick one?

[Phil]

cherdano, on 2012-August-02, 12:36, said:

Is there any good pair today where East wouldn't give count at trick one?

No, but that doesn't detract from the theme which may be applicable on some other hand.

[phil_20686]

Trumpace, on 2012-August-02, 01:00, said:

Reasonable answers above.

Here is the book answer, which I found interesting enough to post here.

They recommend drawing trumps, cashing 4 rounds of hearts and discarding the _diamond_ from dummy on the 4th heart and lead a club up.

Now LHO will place you with a doubleton diamond and singleton club, and will hop up with the club A if he has it, fearing you will make 13 tricks...

This will almost certainly work against 99% of club players. A really nice play.