Elimination play

Playing 12-14 notrumps and negative doubles over notrump interference ala Phillip Martin (https://sites.google.com/site/psmartinsite/Home/bridge-articles/countering-notrump-interference), you conduct the following auction at unfavorable vulnerability (Board 28 of March 23 club game): 

 

North ♠   JT3 ♥   AQ98 ♦   Q5 ♣   K642

South ♠   A865 ♥   T4 ♦   72 ♣   AQJ95

 

West	North	East	South
P	1NT (12-14)	2♦(a)	Dbl (b)
P	2♥ (c)	P	2NT (d)
3♦	P (e)	P	Dbl (f)
P	4♣ (g)	All pass

(a) DONT, diamonds and a major.  Bid only after Break in Tempo (relevant in later discussion).

(b) negative double, presumptively a doubleton diamond in a 10-11 point balanced or semi-balanced hand

(c) opposite a doubleton diamond, must compete for the partial and not defend, natural to play opposite presumed three card or longer support

(d) scramble call, evidencing an unusual hand type for the negative double, probably 5-4 (any order) in black suits (but perhaps call might have been 2♠ with five spades and so it is clubs that can be inferred as the five card black suit?) and a doubleton heart as well as the doubleton diamond

(e) unwilling to defend when knowing that the opponents have nine diamonds, but also unclear how to compete: if partner has five spades and only four clubs, 3♠ is better than 4♣, but if partner has four spades and five clubs, 4♣ is better than 3♠.

(f) unwilling to defend an undoubled contract with combined 23 to 25 HCP.  Failure to have bid 3♠ suggests further that clubs is the five card black suit.

(g) reasonable conclusion 

 

East leads a club.  What is your line of play? 

I think that eliminating the red suits and playing for an end position in spades seems best. 

Timing is critical.  Win the trump in dummy and immediately finesse the ♥Q.  Surprisingly, the finesse wins.  Cash the ♥A, seeing only small cards.  Ruff a heart, felling the king.  Lead a club to your hand, learning that trumps are 2-2.  Ruff your last heart.  You have not yet lost a trick.  Now exit with a diamond, reaching this position.

North  ♠   JT3 ♥   — ♦   Q ♣   64

South  ♠   A865 ♥   — ♦   7 ♣   9

Whether the opponents immediately cash the second diamond winner or not, they will ultimately be forced to either give you a ruff-sluff (you pitch a spade from hand, thereby limiting your spade losers to one, added to your two diamond losers in order to score your contract) or to open spades (if a nonhonor from East, you duck to West’s honor and then take the free finesse on next spade; and if a nonhonor from West, you play him for at least one honor by rising with the ♠J). 

Rather more interestingly, what if the opponents should cash two diamonds at Tricks 1 and 2 and then switch to clubs? 

You would play as before – draw trumps, taking the heart finesse, etc. – to reach the same position as above, less one diamond in each hand.

North  ♠   JT3 ♥   — ♦   — ♣   64

South  ♠   A865 ♥   — ♦   — ♣   9

You are in the South hand, having ruffed your last heart.

Had that occurred, I think I would have been influenced by the hesitation exhibited by East before he ultimately bid 2♦.  East has counted out for four hearts and two clubs.  If his pointed suits were 5-2, would he have hesitated?  Or is the hesitation more consistent with his pointed suits being 6-1 and he was unsure whether to treat his hand as a diamond one-suiter or a diamond/heart two-suiter?  I would have guessed the latter (being influenced in part by West’s failure to have raised directly to 3♦ as he might well have if dealt four diamonds).  Having made such guess, I would have, in the position shown above, next played a small spade toward my JT.  That would endplay West if he were dealt both the spade honors.  And would alternatively have endplayed East if his singleton spade were an honor. 

How would that line of play worked? 

Not well, as this was the whole layout, with the only possible explanation for East’s hesitation being that he was just not sure whether entering the auction on a flattish hand was wise, even under the existing favorable vulnerability of his side.  As to an explanation of why West did not raise directly to 3♦?  I have no idea, and I hope such nonaction was not influenced by the break in tempo before his partner’s 2♦ call.

 

Dealer: W #23 Vul: NS	North ♠  JT3  ♥  AQ98 ♦  Q5  ♣  K642
West ♠   Q942 ♥   K53 ♦   KT93 ♣   T8		East ♠   K7 ♥   J762 ♦   AJ864 ♣   73
	South ♠   A865 ♥   T4 ♦   72 ♣   AQJ95

 

On the actual layout, the winning play in the previous end position is not a small spade toward the JT but rather to cash the ♠A and then duck a spade to endplay East.

Yes, I have noticed that the heart position being favorable to my side for three tricks (AQ and a ruff) that the opponents can be set two doubled tricks in 3♦.  Ah, well.  I still like our auction.