On board 5, one advantage I see to playing low at trick one is that, if you cover with the heart king, the opponents have an exit suit in hearts. If you don't cover, you may create problems for them. Suppose, for example, you duck and East continues hearts (as seems likely). You duck again, ruff, and play ace, king, and a diamond and West wins. A heart or a club return may enable you to get two discards for the spades, so if you guess spades you make it. And, depending on the spade layout, a spade shift may do no better. I doubt either player had anything that specific in mind. Ducking just looks as if it might make the defense harder. West's play of the heart nine was unfortunate, as it made a heart continuation by East impossible.
@@psmartin186 oh yeah might have been my “dummy vision” (thinking north is dummy hahaha) cuz I remember thinking it’s impossible that opps would continue hearts
On board 5, one advantage I see to playing low at trick one is that, if you cover with the heart king, the opponents have an exit suit in hearts. If you don't cover, you may create problems for them. Suppose, for example, you duck and East continues hearts (as seems likely). You duck again, ruff, and play ace, king, and a diamond and West wins. A heart or a club return may enable you to get two discards for the spades, so if you guess spades you make it. And, depending on the spade layout, a spade shift may do no better. I doubt either player had anything that specific in mind. Ducking just looks as if it might make the defense harder. West's play of the heart nine was unfortunate, as it made a heart continuation by East impossible.
@@psmartin186 oh yeah might have been my “dummy vision” (thinking north is dummy hahaha) cuz I remember thinking it’s impossible that opps would continue hearts