[Phil]

---

1N is 10-12. For lack of anything better you track the ♠2, 3, 5 (UDCA), 9.

Declarer immediately lays down the ♣Q, which you win, partner playing the 2 (Reverse Smith - "I like spades")

Now what?

[Hanoi5]

Hm, a small spade? I expect partner to have K865. If I held the Ace I'd play it first and then another spade.

If partner held the ♥K he should have played a higher spade on the first trick I suppose.

[gnasher]

It would be nice to be able to duck the club, to find out whether partner is actually encouraging or just playing his singleton. However, I don't think we can afford that, because declarer might have A9 Kxx Jxxx QJxx.

I'd play ♠7. In this type of position, I think that a low spot says I want him to play his king, and a high spot says I don't. As Hanoi5 says, partner shouldn't get it wrong anyway, because with Axxx we'd just cash the ace, but there's no harm in making it easy for partner.

[DrMunk]

Nice problem.
It looks like partner holds kxxx in spades.

We want to set up the spades, but we dont want partner to waste his king. Probably he should be able to work out not to waste his king, but it dont hurt to try to help him.

If we play back a small spade maybee partner thinks that our suit were axxx originally, and we are playing him for holding kxx in spades.

If we play back the jack of spades at trick three he should get the message..

[Phil]

DrMunk, on 2011-July-10, 08:47, said:

Nice problem.
It looks like partner holds kxxx in spades.

We want to set up the spades, but we dont want partner to waste his king. Probably he should be able to work out not to waste his king, but it dont hurt to try to help him.

If we play back a small spade maybee partner thinks that our suit were axxx originally, and we are playing him for holding kxx in spades.

If we play back the jack of spades at trick three he should get the message..

This is what I was after. WD DrMunk.

I went for a walk yesterday and was annoyed how my partner played the K on the 1st round in a similar setup a few weeks ago, but I was concerned if he correctly played low that he might go wrong the 2nd time the suit gets led. The Jack should get the message across of playing low a 2nd time, but similarly if we lead low it should imply its cashout time and he should play the King.

Andy's 7 should send the same message but the J puts up a nice high cinder block wall around partner.

[awm]

I think I would play a heart here.

Holding ♠K865, why does partner play the five and not the eight? It seems like the eight can never cost, and could gain a tempo against declarer holding ♠A7. Sure, declarer might've called for the ♠T from that holding, but then again he might not. Heck, if we found a lead from a three-card holding the play of the five could freeze the suit to a declarer holding ♠A74.

It seems more likely to me that partner started with something like ♠65 and played the low club either because he had singleton, or because he thought the play to trick one made it "obvious" that he could not hold strength in spades and therefore gave count.

[benlessard]

Good problem, when declarer play low from dummy its means hes got at least the 9 in his hand so its pointless for east to play the 8. Even a weak declarer he will not play low from dummy holding A7x in his hand. So giving attitude/count is possible.

Here partner shouldnt play the K at trick 3 if you return a low spades since with the A you can return the A safely. Even if partner got Kxx in S your marked for another club entry so it doesnt matter if the suit is blocked.

[Phil]

Double

[han]

awm, on 2011-July-10, 19:08, said:

Holding ♠K865, why does partner play the five and not the eight? It seems like the eight can never cost, and could gain a tempo against declarer holding ♠A7. Sure, declarer might've called for the ♠T from that holding, but then again he might not. Heck, if we found a lead from a three-card holding the play of the five could freeze the suit to a declarer holding ♠A74.

It seems more likely to me that partner started with something like ♠65 and played the low club either because he had singleton, or because he thought the play to trick one made it "obvious" that he could not hold strength in spades and therefore gave count.

Agree.

[gnasher]

If partner played the 8, I'd assume he had three of them. However, I think we can cater for both ♠65 and ♠K865, assuming that this is IMPs.

If partner has two small spades and a singleton club, we'll need him to have xx K10xxx Jxxxx x, and declarer AK9x xx xx QJ98x. If that is the layout, we can afford to play another spade now. Suppose that declarer wins that with the ace and plays another club. If partner throws an encouraging heart, we still have time to switch to ♥J.

If partner has something like xx K10xxx Jxxx xx but has failed to Smith Echo, we're not going to win the event anyway.

[whereagles]

Refuse to comment on threads that have compass directions messed up

[Free]

whereagles, on 2011-July-11, 03:50, said:

Refuse to comment on threads that have compass directions messed up

What kind of compass do you use??? (the table is green, so West is sitting in front of North)

[Phil]

han, on 2011-July-11, 01:33, said:

Agree.

Your's and AWM's version of hell is going to be playing

♠QT3

opposite

♠A7

and you call for the 3 at T1 which fetches the 9. LHO wins T2 and plays a small spade.

[whereagles]

Free, on 2011-July-11, 05:10, said:

What kind of compass do you use??? (the table is green, so West is sitting in front of North)

The regular kind lol. In the diagram above, North's cards should be to my left, not my right.

[gnasher]

whereagles, on 2011-July-11, 10:46, said:

In the diagram above, North's cards should be to my left, not my right.

They are.

[Phil]

whereagles, on 2011-July-11, 10:46, said:

The regular kind lol. In the diagram above, North's cards should be to my left, not my right.

---

Does this make you happy?

Of course its wrong, but I'm trying make an accommodation.

[gnasher]

Maybe this is better. I've drawn some bidding boxes, a side table, and a cup of coffee.

[whereagles]

gnasher, on 2011-July-11, 12:08, said:

They are.

What browser are you using? In mine they display to my right, not my left.

[whereagles]

Phil, on 2011-July-11, 12:13, said:

---

Does this make you happy?

Of course its wrong, but I'm trying make an accommodation.

That's better. Players, who have patterned-like mind, tend to prefer this sort of "wrongness" to the other one.

[gnasher]

Maybe this diagram will make it clearer: