At a club game, we got a bottom on this board (I'm sitting south). Neither partner nor I could figure out what I'd done wrong. It was only when recreating the hand that I realized what had happened.
Opening lead is the 9 of hearts. How do you play? (Click on South to hide every one else's cards. click "Next" to see how I played it).
Everyone else, when in dummy, must have immediately taken a spade finesse and made 4S+1 when the Queen of spades turned out to be with East. On the other hand, I came to hand with the Ace of spades and finessed East for the spade queen. I believe that this is a better line because it leaves the diamond king protected. If clubs break 3-3, I can discard a diamond on the fourth club.
Everyone who played the inferior line made an over trick. Or am I missing something?
Okay another (more likely) possibility. At other tables, East led a diamond (the suit his partner bid) and once they take their two diamond tricks, there is no reason to not finesse the person who bid for the queen of spades.
ReplyDeleteAgree with your comment about what probably happened at other tables. But, if east really failed to cover the CQ, then you missed your chance for the overtrick by continuing with the CJ instead of a low club. East is marked with 5 diamonds and 3 spades, and west's lead of the H9 indicates that east has HJ and HT giving him 3 hearts in all. So a low club continuation will give you 4 clubs tricks for the overtrick.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Prashanth, for pointing out the error.
ReplyDeleteEast did not cover. And you are right, I should have been able to use the club count to drop the king.