What happens when you don’t switch to clubs? Look at it from declarer’s perspective. 8 tricks. Where’s the 9th? At match points it’s likely best to play on spades. Or maybe there a squeeze to try? At imps what are you guessing? Both spades and clubs seem 50/50 for the contract. Bottom line is if you just play the heart back on defense there’s still ways to screw it up as declarer. It’s not like I MUST find the club switch or it makes.
Nice problem. Let me recap: - Partner has 5h due to the bidding - Partner has the hK, otherwise declarer would have already won it - Declarer has the hA, otherwise partner should have overtaken - Declarer has the dAK, otherwise partner could see he would get in again and should have overtaken Then I don't fully understand why partner can't have the Ks. I don't think it is logical to say the Ks is a 'sure entry'. Declarer could be making 6d and 3c before partner gets in again. I guess the logic still holds that partner kept you on lead, so there must be a suit that is good to lead from your end. That can only be clubs.
If partner has the KS, declarer based on HCP must have the AK of club, running diamonds, and the AH. They have 9 top tricks. No defense will beat it, and they could have just won trick 1 and cashed out.
@@kevinrosenberg4368 I had the same reasoning, although I think it is less straightforward than it first seems. There is a chance declarer is exactly 3325 in which case diamonds would be blocked. Declarer can then not reach dummy without letting partner in with the Ks. With that layout, you playing a heart is best. However, also with that layout, partner should have overtaken, so that remains the most important clue that the cards lie differently.
yes if partner had something like Kx K9xxx Jxx xxx, they should overtake the heart (they don't want a club shift). It's also worth noting that even on that hand if I tragically shift to the JC, declarer still only has 8 tricks (1 heart, 2 diamond, 5 club), and as long as partner lets me win the first spade, I can recover by playing a heart to defeat the contract.
@@kevinrosenberg4368 Indeed, you would get a second chance to do the right thing. I think the hardest thing for me to reason was that partner would know to overtake with the Ks: I must see that from partner's perspective, blocked diamonds and us getting in twice, still allows no other chances than to continue hearts (on all hands he may think I might have). I can reason that now, but at the table it would have been too complicated for me to find. On a separate note, doesn't leading a small club work just as well as the J? Seems safer to me.
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Really good thoughts here on how to improve partnership agreements when defending. Cheers
Interesting deduction!
Good one, thanks
I guess playing J then Q shows a tripleton?
If you hold QJ doubleton, play Q first.
declarer has denied holding 4 hearts
What happens when you don’t switch to clubs? Look at it from declarer’s perspective. 8 tricks. Where’s the 9th? At match points it’s likely best to play on spades. Or maybe there a squeeze to try? At imps what are you guessing? Both spades and clubs seem 50/50 for the contract. Bottom line is if you just play the heart back on defense there’s still ways to screw it up as declarer. It’s not like I MUST find the club switch or it makes.
Nice problem. Let me recap:
- Partner has 5h due to the bidding
- Partner has the hK, otherwise declarer would have already won it
- Declarer has the hA, otherwise partner should have overtaken
- Declarer has the dAK, otherwise partner could see he would get in again and should have overtaken
Then I don't fully understand why partner can't have the Ks. I don't think it is logical to say the Ks is a 'sure entry'. Declarer could be making 6d and 3c before partner gets in again. I guess the logic still holds that partner kept you on lead, so there must be a suit that is good to lead from your end. That can only be clubs.
If partner has the KS, declarer based on HCP must have the AK of club, running diamonds, and the AH. They have 9 top tricks. No defense will beat it, and they could have just won trick 1 and cashed out.
@@kevinrosenberg4368 I had the same reasoning, although I think it is less straightforward than it first seems. There is a chance declarer is exactly 3325 in which case diamonds would be blocked. Declarer can then not reach dummy without letting partner in with the Ks. With that layout, you playing a heart is best. However, also with that layout, partner should have overtaken, so that remains the most important clue that the cards lie differently.
yes if partner had something like Kx K9xxx Jxx xxx, they should overtake the heart (they don't want a club shift).
It's also worth noting that even on that hand if I tragically shift to the JC, declarer still only has 8 tricks (1 heart, 2 diamond, 5 club), and as long as partner lets me win the first spade, I can recover by playing a heart to defeat the contract.
@@kevinrosenberg4368 Indeed, you would get a second chance to do the right thing.
I think the hardest thing for me to reason was that partner would know to overtake with the Ks: I must see that from partner's perspective, blocked diamonds and us getting in twice, still allows no other chances than to continue hearts (on all hands he may think I might have). I can reason that now, but at the table it would have been too complicated for me to find.
On a separate note, doesn't leading a small club work just as well as the J? Seems safer to me.