Defend 1NT at Matchpoints

[kfgauss]

You're West and lead ♥4 against 1NT at Matchpoints (South opened 1N and was allowed to play it):

 

[hv=d=n&v=n&n=s962hq763d864cq92&w=saj5hk8542dq7ckj7]266|200|Scoring: MP[/hv]

 

Your ♥4 goes to the 3, 10, A. Declarer returns ♣3 and you hop ♣K and return the ♥5 (if you wouldn't falsecard, fine) to the 6, J, 9. Partner returns ♦10 to declarer's J, your Q, and dummy's 4. What now?

 

Also, if you would defend differently earlier, feel free to comment on that.

 

Andy

[awm]

I'd continue with another diamond. Declarer may have something like:

 

Kxx

A9

AJx

ATxxx

 

On a diamond continuation, declarer can take 4 clubs, 1 heart, and 1 diamond. If I continue hearts, declarer can add a heart trick to the total.

 

My reasoning is:

 

(1) Declarer might not play clubs without the A, K, or J. It seems likely he would attack a different suit. So it's reasonable to place declarer with ♣A and four or five cards there.

 

(2) If partner had really good spades, then a spade switch would be likely instead of the diamond play. So it's reasonable to place declarer with either ♠K or ♠Q.

 

(3) Putting these together, if declarer had ♦AKJ, that would be at least 18 points, too much for most people to open 1NT. So it seems like partner has some diamonds, and a diamond return will help establish them.

[Guest Jlall]

what kind of count did partner give in clubs?

[pigpenz]

id go J♠

[kfgauss]

what kind of count did partner give in clubs?

Oh -- sorry, totally missed that I didn't give that trick. Partner followed with ♣8 and we play udca.

 

Andy

[Finch]

I've have played low on the first club. Two reasons:

i) Declarer is then in dummy, and I might learn something from the suit he plays next.

ii) Many (most?) people would have opened 1NT holding

 

KQx

Ax

AK

10xxxxx

 

Now playing the CK looks really, really silly.

[Fluffy]

playing ♥ gives 6th trick, while not playing it now almost assureswe won't make another ♥ trick.

 

So it comes to decide who's gonna win the 2 tricks we can give up in ♥s (meaning 2 tricks will be won in other suits), if it is likelly we will win 1 or 2 of them time to switch, if it is declarer then continue.

 

I think I would rather play a ♣ pasivelly.

[kfgauss]

I've have played low on the first club. Two reasons:

i) Declarer is then in dummy, and I might learn something from the suit he plays next.

ii) Many (most?) people would have opened 1NT holding

 

KQx

Ax

AK

10xxxxx

 

Now playing the CK looks really, really silly.

This is reasonable. I decided to play ♣K because then declarer has the option to misguess clubs when he has A10xx (i.e. he can finesse partner for Jxxx), which he won't do if I duck, as most people don't duck from Kx here. Perhaps declarer is sufficiently unlikely to misguess and the information I gain will be useful.

 

My heart falscard, however, was pretty silly -- if anything, it will help declarer get the club guess correct more often, and it doesn't really gain often (and of course, it takes partner mildly out of certain decisions).

 

Andy

[pclayton]

This is why I like to play 0-2 leads in the middle of the hand. If Pard has KT97(x?) of diamonds, I definitely want to put a diamond on the table, but even then its probably right to continue the suit. A spade and a heart probably give up tricks and a club accomplishes nothing. I feel like I'm going to get pinched on this hand at one point.