[kenrexford]

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South ends up declaring 6♦ after a 2♣-P-2♦ start. Opponents were shockingly silent throughout.

West leads the spade 10 (I like that lead), and the Jack of spades from Dummy wins.

I set about the percentage line, but luck was not on my side. For those who like intermediate-level declarer play issues, this one offers a nice example. BTW, diamonds split 3-0, with LHO (West) having three diamonds.

As an aside, after you work out the percentage line, you might find it amusing to also figure out the alternative very anti-percentage line, which happens to make, of course.

[CSGibson]

kenrexford, on 2012-June-08, 12:30, said:

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South ends up declaring 6♦ after a 2♣-P-2♦ start. Opponents were shockingly silent throughout.

West leads the spade 10 (I like that lead), and the Jack of spades from Dummy wins.

I set about the percentage line, but luck was not on my side. For those who like intermediate-level declarer play issues, this one offers a nice example. BTW, diamonds split 3-0, with LHO (West) having three diamonds.

As an aside, after you work out the percentage line, you might find it amusing to also figure out the alternative very anti-percentage line, which happens to make, of course.

I believe the percentage line is to pull trump, take 2 rounds of hearts, 3 rounds of spades pitching a club, and exit the club, hoping the person with the club A is out of hearts, or for QJ tight of hearts.

Anti percentage line would be to pin the 9 of hearts stiff offside

And as an aside, I love intermediate level declarer play problems, those usually have right answers without resorting to level 5 bridgemaster compound squeezes.

[kenrexford]

The percentage line was correct, but I think there might be a slightly better anti-percentage line.



You can cater to either stiff 9 or 9-x behind. Directly leading the 10 does not work, because with 9-x, LHO covers the first time but ducks the second time.
To catch 9-x (or stiff 9), you do the same spade-club elimination and throw the club on the table. If LHO wins the Ace, he must lead away from Q-J. If small, you float to the 10. If an honor, you cover, return to hand, and NOW smother 9-x. If RHO wins the Ace, he must lead from 9-x of hearts, which accomplishes the same ending because your 8 (or 10 if RHO has stiff 9) forces one of LHO's honors out.

[perko90]

After winning the J♠, I'll draw trump, cash the ♠K, high ♥ (watch for an honor to fall), ♠A (pitching a ♣). If no honor fell in ♥, I'll cash another high ♥, exit with the ♣K, and hope the winner doesn't have another ♥.
If RHO drops a ♥ honor on the 1st rd, I'll still cash another high ♥ and exit w/ ♣K, expecting RHO to have the ♣A (due to count of unknown cards and that LHO might have tried to cash it on opening lead in front of the 2♣ bidder instead of trying the lead from QT9(x)).
If LHO drops a ♥ honor on 1st rd (presumably not from a Hxx holding), I'll exit w/ ♣K w/o cashing a 2nd ♥. If LHO wins, and started w/ Hx in ♥'s, I won't feel too bad about down 1 because I'll at least have company w/ the declarers who got the ♣A lead. Assuming RHO wins, I'll play the ♥8 when RHO returns a low one. Again, if I got fooled w/ LHO starting w/ H9 in ♥, I should have company.

[Flameous]

So RHO was silent with 11 black cards?

[kenrexford]

Flameous, on 2012-June-08, 14:56, said:

So RHO was silent with 11 black cards?

Amazingly, yes.

[mycroft]

Yeah, but you opened 2♣! That means that anything we bid will go for it's life! We can't bid over 2♣!

(For the intermediates - you do want to be careful, and have something useful (like a very long suit), but interfering over 2♣ works even better than interfering over a one-bid; because in the first round, all they've said is "we've got stuff" (and sometimes responder doesn't even do that!) Imagine you have the big hand in North, and it went 2♣-(3♠)-p(positive)-p or 2♣-(2♠)-p-(3♠) rather than 2♣-p-2♦-p. Bid 3NT (and give up on a potential juicy penalty, and possibly 6 or 7 diamonds)? Show your diamond suit (and give up on 3NT)? Double (is that penalty, takeout, or what)? Pass (in the second auction)?)