[lamford]

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I don't think my 3NT was best, but our methods were not that well discussed here, and I was not confident of reaching a good Moysian. West led the ten of hearts. How would you play?

[jillybean]

10 , coded ?

[pescetom]

Been driving all day and don't see any great solutions. Don't think I can afford to hold up twice, whatever the agreement about 10 may be, so I probably just take in hand and play off AK2 of clubs. If they split 3-3 we are home, if not and the return is hearts then I take again and play off spades looking for any ray of hope.

[smerriman]

pescetom, on 2024-March-28, 12:30, said:

I probably just take in hand and play off AK2 of clubs.

Perhaps running the T is infinitesimally better to pick up East having a stiff 9? Otherwise I can't see anything either.. not that that says much when it comes to lamford hands

Edit - I guess another line is ducking 1 heart, then leading towards the ♦9 and hoping West has AT/KT/AK.. or maybe even some others if East is squeezed when the spades run.

[gszes]

This appears to be a "normal" contract with the heart lead the most damaging to our chances.
IMHO looking for something other than a 33 club split is grasping at straws. (hoping for 27 hearts and lho hoiding AKx in diamonds or 36 hearts and rho holding a stiff dia A or K).
It is important to win trick 1 (pitching a dia from dummy) because that allows us to score 10 tricks whenever clubs break 33 and most of the MP.
I would duck a club at trick 2 in case rho wins it (with a doubleton) and (thinking we are on the verge of scoring 4 club tricks) makes a dia switch hoping to score 3+? dia trick to go along with a club to hold us to 9 tricks (giving us our 9th trick).

[lamford]

Sorry not to return to this before now. Clubs producing 3 tricks is reasonable, but I think it is better to win the heart and play a diamond to the nine. If that forces the king or ace, you can duck a couple of hearts and get your ninth trick in diamonds. If West goes in with an honour, assuming the honours are split, four rounds of spades squeeze East who started with xx QJTxx Kx QJxx.

I don't know if this is the right line but do know that the club position, a priori, is only 35.53% to play for one loser.

[fuzzyquack]

H9 or a stiff nine/9x in ♣ with E are extra chances besides ♣ 3-3. To play for that, play low ♠ to T, and lead a low ♣. If followed by a low ♣, play the eight; cover the nine. Still a guess in the end but only a highly skilled defender would pay the nine from 9x.

[mikeh]

lamford, on 2024-April-19, 06:09, said:

Sorry not to return to this before now. Clubs producing 3 tricks is reasonable, but I think it is better to win the heart and play a diamond to the nine. If that forces the king or ace, you can duck a couple of hearts and get your ninth trick in diamonds. If West goes in with an honour, assuming the honours are split, four rounds of spades squeeze East who started with xx QJTxx Kx QJxx.

I don't know if this is the right line but do know that the club position, a priori, is only 35.53% to play for one loser.

I’m wondering how you seem to know that east can’t have both the A and K of diamonds?

That’s the only assumption upon which the 50% diamond hook is markedly superior to playing on clubs.

[Winstonm]

win, j of spades to the King, low club toward the 108. Guess.