BBO 4/11

You arrive in 4H via 1C - 1H - 2H - 3N - 4H

xx
AKJx
x
Axxxxx

AJx
Qxxx
QTxx
Kx

The lead is the DA, shift to the CJ.

I didn't play this one right. I drew two rounds of trumps and got the bad news: hearts are 4-1, LHO having 4. I played a club up, lefty pitched, I won the ace, but I eventually wind up -1.

I tanked at trick 2 after winning the club in my hand. I need to go after clubs while I still have flexibility (entries) in trumps, I think. If I play a club up immediately and lefty pitches a spade, I win the ace, lead one back and ruff it. If lefty overruffs and leads a big diamond, I can pitch a spade, and then whatever he does, I can play a heart up, ruff another club big, draw trumps and claim. At least I think this line is unbeatable.

If lefty refuses to overruff the third club, I think I can play a heart up and ruff another one small, which leads to the same position. Anyway, I instinctively felt like playing a club up at trick three and I don't know why I didn't...

I guess this is a basic lesson: delay drawing trumps if you need to set up a side suit and use trumps as entries. Sometimes suits don't always break the way you want.


----
AQTxxx
Axx
K9xx

AT98xx
x
K98x
Ax

This one was more of a bidding fiasco than anything. The auction went, south dealing:

1S - 2H
2S - 3C
3D - 3H
3S - 4D
4S

I think the auction was okay up to 3S. When 4D came around, I wasn't sure what was going on so I just tried to quit as quickly as possible in 4S. Not sure how this auction should have gone.