Matchpoint Defense

[kfay]

Here's one that I got wrong at the table.

 

[hv=d=s&s=sakj10xhxdxxxcj10xx]133|100|Scoring: MP

P-(1♣)-1♥-(3♦)

All Pass[/hv]

 

You're playing matchpoints and you see the following auction unfold.

 

3♦ is described as weak. You lead the ♠A and see:

 

 

[hv=w=sxxhkqxxdkxcakqxx&s=sakj10xhxdxxxcj10xx]266|200|[/hv]

 

Edit: partner plays a discouraging spot.

 

Now what?

[the hog]

What did pd play? I am likely to switch to a H, but it does help if you are more specific.

[gwnn]

did partner signal anything on the ace?

[kfay]

What did pd play? I am likely to switch to a H, but it does help if you are more specific.

fixed

[Guest Jlall]

 

You should cash the SK before you play a heart. It can't hurt and partner might screw up and play a spade back if you play a heart, and RHO may have the HA even (never know).

 

 

edit: sorry I didnt see which forum this was, hid my answer.

[jocdelevat]

Problems like this I think are more interesting for b/i if we replace "try to defend" with "try to fill in the reamaning hands"(to visualize your pard and op hand). I 'm not good as visualizing hands and I can bet most b/i players don't.

So here how many points and distrib of pard hand? then how about the op with 3d.

So I think the 3d bider may have 3361 3271 and 7-8 points.

So I play ak spade then a heart and hope pard retun a heart then i do not know which suit is better club or spade. both has pro and cons.

 

I'm not good at visualize hands so I just made a try.

[the hog]

You should cash the SK before you play a heart. It can't hurt and partner might screw up and play a spade back if you play a heart, and RHO may have the HA even (never know).

 

 

edit: sorry I didnt see which forum this was, hid my answer.

Agree with this. My first response was lazy.

[rbforster]

From partner's discouraging spade, I am willing to place declarer with at least Q♠ and QJxxxx(x)♦ (or better) for his 3♦ call. This doesn't leave much for partner's overcall - at best AJxxx(x)♥ and maybe A(x) or Q(x)♦. Since partner is on a marginal overcall and since I'm a PH, it's unlikely that partner has lots of extra heart length or he might have preempted with 2-3♥ instead. Since partner probably doesn't have lots of extra heart length, I'm placing RHO with something like Qx(x) xx(x) HJxxxx(x) x(x).

 

What can we conclude from this?

First, we are very likely to have a 5-3 or even 5-4 spade fit. If RHO had 4♠ and long ♦ and the moderate values I've placed him with he would likely make a negative double (and seems to have enough hearts and values not to worry so much about us jamming the auction in hearts that he would need to preempt with 4261,4360,4270). Give partner some typical hands like:

 

xxx AJxxxx Q xxx

xxxx AJxxx Q xxx

xxx AJxxx Qx xxx

xxxx AJxxx Qx xx

 

and we're making 2-3♠ for +110/+140 if RHO hadn't interfered. Opposite better shape from partner like

 

xxxx AJxxx A xxx

xxxx AJxxx Ax xx

xxxx AJxxxx Q xx

 

we making 3-4♠ even if the defense finds their fairly obvious Q♠ ruff on the lead and continuation of clubs.

 

What can we do about this? Not much - after leading a heart to the KA declarer will have 4 non-trump winners in dummy which will be more than enough to cover his outside losers unless we can ruff them with or without promoting his Q♠ by cashing our 2nd high spade. I guess I'm leading AK♠ and a heart, and then the J♠ hoping declarer will be lazy play trumps to partner's hoped A♦ rather than cashing clubs to pitch his potential heart losers. Maybe I'll get a 2nd ♥ ruff this way but it looks a lot like we're getting -110 for 3♦ making instead of +110/140, and opposite better hands by partner we're getting +50 or +100 for 3♦-1 instead of +140/+170 in spades.

 

 

Probably a bad board no matter what.

[kfay]

Justin has the point of this hand... I feel like it's right out of Kelsey on Defense.

 

Basically I failed to cash the 2nd high spade. I led a ♥ and partner returned a ♠. I never got my ♥ ruff so 3♦+1.

 

The moral of the story is to make it easy on your partner. If you cash the 2nd spade, partner will know you don't want a ♠ return and so can only want a ♥.