[JLOGIC]

A9x
Kxx
J9xxx
Tx

KT8x
AQx
KQ
QJ7x

You get to 3N uncontested. You receive the 9 of hearts lead which is either the ten, or J98. You win the ace in your hand and play the DK. LHO wins and plays a heart, RHO playing the T and you win the Q. You cash a diamond and all follow. You play a club to the ten on which LHO tanks and plays low. RHO wins the ace and comes back with the 8 of clubs, you play the queen, and LHO plays low. What do you do?

(Notice, the opps have found very strong defense, its up to you to find the counter).

[twoshy]

If I play a third round of clubs now, throwing a spade from dummy, LHO hopefully can't cash the fourth club without squeezing RHO in the rounded suits on the third heart. If he doesn't cash the club, I can win the (say) spade return in hand, cross to the heart king and knock out the diamond, with the spade ace still in dummy.

[kenberg]

Yes, the Jack of clubs seems right. We assume W has five hearts from the non-heart return earlier, he seems to have the AT remaining and hopefully not a fifth. Then, as noted, he cannot cash the last club w/o squeezing his pard, and if he does not cash there is no further entry to his hand.

So this is a "me too", but I was coming to this before I saw the twoshy post.

[JLOGIC]

Yes, well done. This was a "nothing hand" but I think many people would go wrong on both the play and defense, and that goes with my theme of always making strong/the best plays since you give them a good chance of making an error. On this hand, both the defense and declarer played well. At the other table my teammate shifted to a club from K9xx hoping his partner had AJxx or AQx, seems reasonable to me though I didn't analyze it.

[Antrax]

Why play ♦K and not ♦Q from hand?

[CamHenry]

JLOGIC, on 2013-March-05, 21:16, said:

Yes, well done. This was a "nothing hand" but I think many people would go wrong on both the play and defense, and that goes with my theme of always making strong/the best plays since you give them a good chance of making an error. On this hand, both the defense and declarer played well. At the other table my teammate shifted to a club from K9xx hoping his partner had AJxx or AQx, seems reasonable to me though I didn't analyze it.

I was trying to construct a combination avoidance play/squeeze by going after spades directly (trying to lose to W directly, as RHO is then almost-squeezed on any return) but the communications didn't work. Hopefully I've learned something by seeing the actual way to go after it!

(I think knowing the vulnerability and dealer would have helped me be more confident that LHO wasn't 5-5 in the round suits: though if he is, there's a different line marked to pick up RHO's holding).

[JLOGIC]

Antrax, on 2013-March-05, 22:55, said:

Why play ♦K and not ♦Q from hand?

Probably doesn't matter, but I'd rather them win the first diamond rather than hold up (I think?), and it is more likely they'll win the K than the Q

[Antrax]

I guessed the second part, but I don't understand the first part. If they win the second round of diamonds, the suit is already unblocked - isn't that a good thing?

[JLOGIC]

Well presumably if they duck the first diamond, they'll duck the second diamond pretty often, in which chase it is not clear at all what I'm supposed to do.

If they are going to win the first diamond vs win the second diamond I don't think it really matters, I am always going to win their heart return in my hand and play a club. I think you'd be right if my plan was to finish off the diamonds rather than play a club.

[quiddity]

Nice hand. I'm pretty sure I'd get this wrong at the table; it's tempting to just hook spades into LHO twice.