George Washington Carver said, "Ninety-nine percent of all failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses."
Let's hope you play this deal successfully, instead of having to produce excuses for failing.
How would you plan the play in four hearts after West leads the club king?
North should raise one heart to two hearts, not respond one spade. Why? Because if you, the opener, were to rebid two clubs or two diamonds, North would have to rebid two hearts, which would promise only two cards in hearts. Yes, here you would rebid three hearts and North would raise, but that is not the point! And, agreed, your jump to four hearts is aggressive. But you should be aggressive in bidding game, especially when vulnerable.
You are faced with four losers: two diamonds and two clubs. You have only nine winners: two spades, six hearts and one club. You must establish a long spade in the dummy.
This is the safest line: Win the first (or second) trick with your club ace, take the heart ace, play a spade to dummy's king, cash the spade ace, and ruff a spade high in your hand. Note that you need the heart four and five to lead to dummy's nine and 10 to provide vital entries.
Play the heart four to dummy's nine and ruff another spade high. Back to dummy with a trump to the 10, you cash the spade seven for 10 tricks: three spades, six hearts and one club.
Let's hope you play this deal successfully, instead of having to produce excuses for failing.
How would you plan the play in four hearts after West leads the club king?
North should raise one heart to two hearts, not respond one spade. Why? Because if you, the opener, were to rebid two clubs or two diamonds, North would have to rebid two hearts, which would promise only two cards in hearts. Yes, here you would rebid three hearts and North would raise, but that is not the point! And, agreed, your jump to four hearts is aggressive. But you should be aggressive in bidding game, especially when vulnerable.
You are faced with four losers: two diamonds and two clubs. You have only nine winners: two spades, six hearts and one club. You must establish a long spade in the dummy.
This is the safest line: Win the first (or second) trick with your club ace, take the heart ace, play a spade to dummy's king, cash the spade ace, and ruff a spade high in your hand. Note that you need the heart four and five to lead to dummy's nine and 10 to provide vital entries.
Play the heart four to dummy's nine and ruff another spade high. Back to dummy with a trump to the 10, you cash the spade seven for 10 tricks: three spades, six hearts and one club.