or it could go diamond to the K, heart through to partner's honor, heart return to declarer who now has to lead from his spade honors. Thanks for the 800...

Dummy has to be flat broke here if he has heart support and couldn't dredge up a 2H response over partner's overcall.

I have the coolest wife... for anniversary today, she got me a bridge world sub :-)

What's my best line in 7s?
xxx / AKJx / AQxx / xx
AKQTx / Tx / Kx / AQTx

Lead is a low diamond

Can we do better than (stiff HQ Or club hook & clubs 4-3), spades 3-2?
I understand our best line is to not be in 7S, so I guess I'm looking for second best.

Win diamond in dummy, club hook (it just has to be done), draw two trump and see where we're at. Yes, you probably have to ruff the third club in dummy but note we do get the chance that someone's 2-2 in the blacks along the way.

Assuming that stuff works then come to the diamond in hand, draw last trump, pop bottles.

I don't think there's a particularly good double squeeze line to set up a fourth red card as a trick, but I could be wrong, and it might work well if say trumps are 1-4.

There are options that don't involve the club hook. Need 3 club pitches and if HQ is on, I have 2. Thought a little about protecting against the bad trump break and playing for a red suit squeeze for my 13th but ultimately decided it was better just to play for favorable clubs. Just wanted to see if I was missing anything obvious.

You have two club pitches, but how do you arrange the entries to make all that happen? You don't, at least not on the diamond lead, because someone is going to have a lot of idle clubs to pitch unless like LHO has 4 diamonds, 4 hearts, and I think the club king too?

Thats my point - LHO may be squeezed in the reds. I don't think this is a better line than the club hook, and ultimately I took the club hook -- posting this was just an exercise in "did I miss something"

Not sure your point about entries. win the diamond, cash minimum number of trumps, protecting against 4-1 on the right. I can get back to dummy to hook if needed by finessing the HJ and by leading a diamond up. I'll need righty to have 3 diamonds then, since I'll need to cash both diamonds. If trumps behave, I'll cash 3, then heart to the jack. 2 diamonds, ace of clubs, trump, trump=squeeze card. End position is

void / AKx / x / void
x / x / void / xx

and the last trump squeezes LHO.

ah OK, I miscounted something along the way

best I can see this is the normal line although there is no difficulty arranging the club hook and drawing 2 rounds of trumps along the way

how about winning the king of diamonds maybe cash a spade and playing 10 of hearts as a start ?

Presumably the idea is to sucker a cover so we don't have to ruff the club, and if we don't get it were no worse off?

I like it.

How does T-Q-A-x of hearts help?

what Wetzel said is true - you won't need to ruff a club - also you might squeeze someone peeling off trumps now

you could also run the 10 of hearts - a seemingly radical plan and not to be done slowly but given the alternatives not too bad

Eh, gives up the legit (albeit small) chance of HQ falling stiff. Not sure I'm crazy about this.

Win in dummy, cash two trumps. You need to do that in case jxxx is onside. Then play low heart to dummy. If the miracle happens you claim 13 tricks (Qh drops). If not, club finesse and ruff,back to Kd, claim

sickest of sick brags

T minus 6 days until GNT...

Who's meeting me in Chicago for Booze and Bridge?

not me (snif)

Want to come check out a bunch of people from their apartments instead?

Leaving for Chicago today with the GNT starting tomorrow. I'll try to provide updates so you can sweat us from the rail ;-)

We have a pretty strong flight B team, so assuming we dodge the variance in the swiss, I like our chances in full day matches.

First class upgrade with free drinks in the air? Don't mind if I do!

gl dc

glgl dc. I will be at the hilton starting thursday afternoon, probably have to do system stuff etc but I have a feeling I will somehow make an appearance at the bar :P See you there!

GL DC. We expect trip reports.

The question "How many mini-bottles of Shiraz can DC-Ohio drink on a 50 minute flight from Dayton to Chicago?" now has an answer...

Anyway... travel day is in the books. Swiss starts tomorrow at 1.

Eventually you get dirty looks. The key is before the flight takes off when they ask if you'd like a drink ask for (in my case) "2 jacks and a coke" and be charming. Then when they come around ask for "the same." Then you only have to be the annoying guy who clicks the button for the flight attendant once and say "you know I hate to bother you but is there any chance I can get another of the same before we land? I will drink it fast (because sometimes they shut you down with they're gonna land soon so they can't).

So I would estimate on a 50 min flight you got 6.

*Source: Alcoholic who flies a lot