This is a hand from yesterday's Matchpoint game at Mercercrest bridge club, in Mercer Island near Seattle.
You are South and end up in 4S, after showing 6 hearts and 5 spades, and North showing a diamond suit.
[In the actual hand, East was declarer, made South here for convenience]
West leads a trump. You see:
[Bidding given is as it happened at the table]
East wins the SA (low from dummy), and returns a trump (win in dummy with the T), West following.
Now what?
At the table, South played a diamond to the A (both opponents following with low cards), and a diamond toward the K, with West playing the DJ.
If this was IMPS, you have a clear play to duck this trick!
You are short of entries to dummy. If diamonds break 3-1 (singleton with East), and you play the K, East might be able to ruff and dummy's diamonds will be dead. There will be no way to establish (the Q is still out) and cash the diamonds.
If you duck, the diamonds are already setup, with the SK as an entry.
Coming back to matchpoints.
If you duck, you guarantee 11 tricks.
If you go up with the K and diamonds are 2-2, you make 12, risking going down if diamonds are 3-1.
At the table, South got greedy and went up with the K. Unfortunately for her, this got ruffed, and she ended up down 2, when she threw a heart on the club return.
Looking at the traveller, she would have made a near top if she made 11 tricks. Getting greedy, she got a near bottom.
I think she got greedy, but perhaps you disagree. How would you have played?
You are South and end up in 4S, after showing 6 hearts and 5 spades, and North showing a diamond suit.
[In the actual hand, East was declarer, made South here for convenience]
West leads a trump. You see:
| MPS Both | North ♠ KT9 ♥ - ♦ KT97642 ♣ KT5 | |
| South ♠ QJ543 ♥ A87543 ♦ A5 ♣ - |
| W | N | E | S |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1H | |||
| P | 1NT | P | 2H |
| P | 3D | P | 3S |
| P | 3N | P | 4S |
| P | P | P |
[Bidding given is as it happened at the table]
East wins the SA (low from dummy), and returns a trump (win in dummy with the T), West following.
Now what?
At the table, South played a diamond to the A (both opponents following with low cards), and a diamond toward the K, with West playing the DJ.
If this was IMPS, you have a clear play to duck this trick!
You are short of entries to dummy. If diamonds break 3-1 (singleton with East), and you play the K, East might be able to ruff and dummy's diamonds will be dead. There will be no way to establish (the Q is still out) and cash the diamonds.
If you duck, the diamonds are already setup, with the SK as an entry.
Coming back to matchpoints.
If you duck, you guarantee 11 tricks.
If you go up with the K and diamonds are 2-2, you make 12, risking going down if diamonds are 3-1.
At the table, South got greedy and went up with the K. Unfortunately for her, this got ruffed, and she ended up down 2, when she threw a heart on the club return.
Looking at the traveller, she would have made a near top if she made 11 tricks. Getting greedy, she got a near bottom.
I think she got greedy, but perhaps you disagree. How would you have played?
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