tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6167918454701652348.post325074514499799568..comments2024-03-11T11:29:56.577-04:00Comments on The Gargoyle Chronicles: Match 2 - Board 53Phillip Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12686740850642509457noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6167918454701652348.post-25902147786213534302011-05-10T15:26:00.477-04:002011-05-10T15:26:00.477-04:00Interesting opening lead problem. Without a club,...Interesting opening lead problem. Without a club, the line of setting up the diamonds is much to be preferred, since you now have one more late entry to dummy. But that begs the question of what to else west can lead. Clearly, after a spade lead declarer will have no problem making five, and a heart lead will let declarer make six.<br /><br />So what about diamonds? If Phillip did lead the diamond queen, declarer might assume it was a singleton (or four to the queen jack, giving east a singleton). A low diamond is as bad as a spade, if declarer puts up the ten, which costs nothing, he has five diamond tricks. Now west must ruff in with his trump trick and cash the spade ace to hold declarer to five. <br /><br />So it looks like Phillip did consider the only two safe leads. For what it is worth, I would have played the seven of clubs on the third round. Probably not for a very "good" reason. I started concealing count, and it is usually wrong to change horses in midstream without reason.Robert I. Eachushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14500484244426395165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6167918454701652348.post-30154143865454207622011-05-08T10:11:50.103-04:002011-05-08T10:11:50.103-04:00Declarer's very early play seems consistent wi...Declarer's very early play seems consistent with a plan to set up diamonds for spade discards, hoping for both red suits to split and to use the H8 as a late entry to dummy. That could produce twelve tricks via six hearts, four diamonds and two clubs.<br /><br />Why declarer did not follow through by cashing two high diamonds seems odd to me, but I do understand declarer's not playing a spade early from dummy, thus risking losing two spades should the SQ be offside.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09402419741923703786noreply@blogger.com