When you are in an unusual contract …

Playing weak notrumps, I opened one on ♠Q8, ♥KQJ6, ♦AQ52, ♣T75 on Board 17 of Friday’s matchpoint game at the local club.  Three passes followed.  The opening lead was the ♠5, to the 4, T, and won by my ♠Q.

Directions reversed for convenience.

I am thankful to have been gifted a trick on the opening lead, but I still do not like my contract.  Standard bidders will likely play in hearts.  Heart contracts would seem to fare better than notrump, especially if spades are 5-3.

I am a big fan of weak notrumps, but, especially in matchpoints, where the size of a plus matters, these situations occur.    Often times, even when 4-4 hearts is our best contract, the weak notrump can do well by preempting the opponents out of their spade fit.  With 23 HCP between us, though, I fear that I do have to outscore the declarers in heart contracts.

Before I spend too much time thinking about to outscore the heart contract declarers, let me force out the ♥A.  I play the ♥K and RHO wins the ace and returns the ♠6 to the ♠8, ♠J, and ♠9.  The ♠2 is played next by LHO and the ♠A, ♠3 and a diamond pitch by my hand.

Spades appear to be 5-3, which means I had better hope that LHO cannot gain the lead.  Assuming the ♦K is onside, I can win two spades, three hearts, two diamonds and the ♣A for 8 tricks.  But the heart declarers have four top tricks on the side and can probably arrange for five trump tricks to include three hearts and two diamond ruffs, one of them a high ruff: they will lose one spade and one heart, and some number of clubs.

I think I need to win extra club tricks without losing the lead to LHO.  I can do so if LHO holds H9x of clubs.  At the table I decide to lead the ♣7.  LHO decides to play the ♣9.  I cover with the ♣J and lose to the king.  The opponents are not a top notch pair (witness the ♣9 play, when small would be normal and a club honor would be the second hand high “Rodwell play”, since I cannot afford to duck and allow LHO to cash spade winners) and so I do not read the ♣K being the card that wins the trick as much of an indicator that the ♣Q is with LHO.  But I have already concluded that I am going to play for LHO for H9x, so their plays do not matter much.

A diamond comes back and my ♦Q wins the trick.  I cash only one heart (all following), leaving me with Jx opposite Tx for flexible transportation.  I then play the ♣T from hand.  LHO plays the ♣6 and I let the ♣T ride.

Lucky!  The ♣T wins and I emerge with ten tricks for +180 (two spades, three hearts, two diamonds, and three clubs when they prove to be 3-3.  All 12 matchpoints on a full layout of

After the normal spade lead, I don’t think the opponents can stop me from making ten tricks.