Jeff Lehman

Matchpoint hands from Cape Cod regional

Try your hand from some matchpoint problems from a recent regional.

Wed eve, board 26.

1NT-3NT auction.

West

AK3

JT87

JT2

J65

East

T87

AK3

Q643

AK2

The 2 lead was won by dummy’s J.  The J was led and held.  The T was captured by North’s ace.  North returned a heart, won perforce in my hand.  I played a spade to dummy in order to lead a third round of diamonds.  Oops, North showed out, pitching a spade, and South won this diamond and the next as I shed a heart from dummy and North pitched a club.  A heart was played next by South and North pitched a spade as I won with my remaining high heart honor.  At this point I had won five of the first eight tricks (three hearts, one spade, and one diamond) and had lost three diamonds.  I had three top tricks remaining in the black suits but needed one more winner.  I played the other top spade and then a third spade.  North won but then he had to lead from Q and when I let that ride to dummy’s jack, I could claim nine tricks.

Dealer:

Vul:

North

Q9652

54

A8

Q943

West

AK3

JT87

JT2

J65

East

T87

AK3

Q643

AK2

South

J4

Q962

K975

T87

No, I don’t know if I would have gone right had North come down to the doubleton Q and three spades for his last five cards.  Probably I should drop the Q then because South’s play of the J on second round of that suit should clue me in to North’s distribution.

Wed eve., board 29.

After an auction to your own to 3NT, of 1-2-3-3-3NT, how do you play as East upon lead of 2?

West

K96

AKT7

2

QJT32

East

J743

9

AKT6

A987

The defense has not found the best lead; a diamond lead would have been more challenging and even a heart presents more difficulty.  Can you take advantage?

To try to take advantage of the tempo presented by the lead, I rose with the K at Trick 1.  When North followed suit with T, the hand seemed pretty easy to diagnose.  I took the club finesse successfully and ended in hand when North was dealt Kx.  Next I led a spade to South’s five and dummy’s six, essentially finessing against South’s 8.  As expected, North won the Q from his dealt holding of QT tight.  North then returned a diamond but it was too late.  I won the K and forced out the A, winning eleven tricks (five clubs, two spades, and two sets of red AK’s) for a top board.

Th afternoon, board 1.

For the first sixteen boards of this session, I was dummy on eight and defender on eight.  I finally get a chance to declare on this, the seventeenth board.  Alas, I claim twelve tricks at Trick 1 and have yet to declare a card that matters.  Nice 4 call by partner, Wayne Burt of Pembroke, NH, eh?

Dealer: North

Vul: none

North

A5

AJ765

Q

AQ952

South

8742

KQ983

KJ73

West North East South
1 3 4
5 6 All pass

Th afternoon, board 2.

As North, what do you lead against opponents’ auction of 3-3NT?

Dealer: East

Vul: NS

North

A962

K52

Q9643

J

West

Q54

A64

AJ87

A62

East

J87

J73

KQT9543

South

KT3

QT98

KT52

87

I led a spade and when partner made the not unreasonable continuation of a spade, we had given away a tenth trick.

Th afternoon, board 3.

As North, what action do you take after partner opens 2and West passes, fav vul?

North

76

K87

KT82

9863

The conditions are ripe for creating a smokescreen: I bid 2NT (Ogust in this partnership).  Partner responded 3, good hand, good suit and so I bid 4.  With points of opponents nearly equally divided, neither made a call and -150 was a great score, with eleven tricks available to EW in a spade contract.

Dealer:

Vul:

North

76

K87

KT82

9863

West

AT543

JT

Q63

AJ2

East

QJ98

32

AJ95

KQ4

South

K2

AQ9654

74

T75

Th eve, board 4.

What is your signaling plan as West after partner – old Golden Arm – leads the K (you lead A from AK and length) against 1-4 auction?

West

94

KQJ2

A93

T973

South

QJ762

7

T762

J85

Attitude will soon be known by all, as soon as declarer wins the ace on this trick.  Ergo, your first signal should be count signal.  When declarer later leads a club toward dummy’s jack, you should signal suit preference for diamonds.  The heart suit can wait because a pitch of a heart on the J can hardly cost, but a pitch of a diamond might.

Th, eve, board 5.

Against fourth chair 1– (conservative) 1NT, what is your lead as South?

South

QJ62

KJ953

6

JT5

My opponent led a spade.  I don’t know if there is anything to his decision, but it worked well for him.  A heart would have given me an extra trick, but the spade just gave me discarding problems.

Dealer: North

Vul: NS

North

AK97

86

Q952

742

West

T8

Q72

AT874

AQ6

East

543

AT4

KJ3

K983

South

QJ62

KJ953

6

JT5

Th eve, board 12.

What is your call as East after partner opens 1 and North doubles, at fav vul?

East

65

K2

J98654

K87

I bid 2.

Dealer: West

Vul: NS

North

AQJ984

A83

AT73

West

2

Q97

KQ

AT96532

East

65

K2

J98654

K87

South

KT73

JT654

2

QJ4

South could no longer cue bid 2 (for which one possible meaning is invitational values with both majors) and wasn’t sure what double would mean in his partnership.  Ergo, he bid 2.  Now my partner, Wayne Burt, made a nice pressure call to raise to 5, presenting North with a problem.  North decided to double and -300 was a nice result in exchange for the slam their direction.

Th eve, board 14.

As East, you lead the K against 3.  How do you continue?

East

54

T98

AKT2

AQ76

South

KT86

732

Q74

K95

West North East South
1 P
1 1! Dbl (support) 2
P P 3! 3!
All pass

At the table, I played A, then small club.  Partner, bless him, held the J and the defense had set up a third round club winner before the Q could be established for a pitch.

Dealer: East

Vul: none

North

AQJ7

AJ4

J83

T32

West

932

KQ65

965

J84

East

54

T98

AKT2

AQ76

South

KT86

732

Q74

K95

No big deal on this hand because declarer’s distribution was flat.  Maybe next time declarer will be 5=3=2=3.

Th eve, board 15.

West North East South
P
P 1 P 2 (4-card Drury)
P 2(subminimum) P 4!

Yes, that was the actual auction of the opponents.  Can you make use of the information given by North and volunteered by South’s auction choice?  What is your lead?

East

J4

KQ743

Q63

KQ6

Better choose the K and not the K.  I erred by choosing clubs and that made a two trick difference, converting +100 into -650.

Dealer:

Vul:

North

AQ653

T2

84

A842

West

82

J965

KJT7

975

East

J4

KQ743

Q63

KQ5

South

KT97

A8

A952

JT3

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