Lots of choices
Here are some choices from today’s club matchpoint event. Starting with Board 1.
From the hand shown, what do you choose to lead?
I tried the ♠7. Declarer thought for quite a while and then called for the ♠T, to partner’s ♠J to declarer’s ace. Declarer cashed the ♦K and then I won the ♥K with the ♥A at Trick 3 (alas, not a Smith-echo partnership and so my choice of spade has not been validated by partner’s choice of heart card) and chose to return another spade. Partner won the ♠9 and switched to the ♣J. Down three tricks (and could have been down four, had we cashed a third spade before removing my club tops)! For a top (not sure why declarer did not first choose to run the diamonds for down two).
Board 14.
Against a lower-flight pair, you are in 6♠ and receive a lead of the ♥A. What is your declarer plan?
Hoping to reduce the chances of the opponents finding a heart ruff at Trick 2, I decided to play the ♥Q at Trick 1. A diamond was continued and I played ♠K and then took a spade finesse. Diamonds were not the expected 6-3 (why, if she were going to enter the live auction, would North choose to overcall 2♦ rather than to have doubled?), but the spade finesse did win and the slam came home. 9.32 on 11 top.
Board 22. You hear this auction by opponents.
Defending against one of the better pairs in the room (that is, the 2NT bid is not what some refer to as “suicide 2NT”, but rather will deliver the extra values it should), what do you lead from the hand that follows?
I feared giving away a cheap club trick and noted that opener had not supported responder’s spade suit. I tried the ♠K and this held declarer to eight tricks. The spade lead was easier to find when notrump was declared from the North chair and so the result was a disappointing 2.5 out of 11 matchpoints. Still, that is better than the -150 we would have earned with a club lead (to dummy’s queen, to be followed by one diamond finesse immediately, and another, if necessary, when in dummy with the ♠A).
Board 29. As West, you hold
At all vulnerable, do you pass 3♠ hoping to convert a reopening double? Not sure that is a good choice, but my pass was made in tempo and turned out to be a lucky one when partner balanced, not with a double, but with 4♦! What now?
I think it is best to keycard now … if you are sure that partner will take the parlay of pass then 4NT (or whatever other call you have defined) as keycard and not as an offer to play on a hand that was “trap passing”. But at a club game, reaching a makeable 6♦ is likely to score quite well, and that is what I bid directly. +1370 for another 9.32.
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Bridge-related
I decided to play the ♥Q at Trick 1.
I’m not sure how you found this, but great result!
Dave MOJO,
How can playing the HQ at Trick 1 hurt? Of my four hearts, I am going to lose one to the HA, win one with HK, and pitch the other two on the top clubs. Not that I really thought the lead was from four hearts to the ace, but the insurance protecting against that was free.