Are there choices here?
July 1, 2009
| WEST
|
||
| SOUTH
|
You are West, sitting over dummy after this auction:
West….North….East….South
Pass…..1D…….Pass…..1S
Pass…..2C…….Pass…..3C
Pass…..3NT
Partner leads the S7 to your ten and declarer’s four. What should you do now?
Entry Filed under: Cayne matches. .
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1.
Arik | July 1, 2009 at 5:00 pm
I would play a H back.
The danger with cashing 4 Spades is establishing declarer’s ninth trick without setting a fifth trick for the defense.
The layout I fear of is declarer having S4-HAJx-DAKxxx-CAxxx
Partner having SA97-HQTxx-DJx-CT9xx (An inspired lead)
Playing a S back on this layout will give away the contract as partner can’t play H effectively.
H is safe as even if the defense has 5 cashable tricks, e.g. 4 Spades plus a minor suit Ace declarer cannot have 9 quick tricks in H and the other minor.
2.
Bill Jacobs | July 1, 2009 at 1:31 pm
Assuming declarer followed to the spade with the 4, I’ll play heart 9 at trick 2.
This is necessary if declarer holds
x-QJx-AKJxx-A10xx.
The heart switch could be a loser if declarer has
x-AJ10-AKxxx-Axxx
but that seems a little less likely – essentially a single layout.
I couldn’t construct any other likely scenarios where my choice at trick 2 matters.
The problem with a spade return is that it clues declarer in to setting up the 5th spade on a number of layouts. He will know for certain that spades are 4-3.