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Defense problem (matchpoints)


whereagles

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MPs. Opposite not-too-hot opponents, you hold

 

Jxx xx QT8xxx Ax

 

You...LHO...pard...RHO

2......2.....pass....3

pass..3NT (all pass)

 

2 was natural, weak. Partner leads J (no higher card) and you see

 

Dealer: South
Vul: E/W
Scoring: MP
Kx
AT98xx
9x
Qxx
Jxx
xx
QT8xxx
Ax

 

Declarer plays low. Do you take the A? If so, what do you play now?

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I assume declarer played low club from the table. Pd would have lead from K-x-x or A-x-x so there is no future in that colour. I take A and play more hoping partner started with KJTxx(x) and have an entry in a major.

 

/Robert

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Ah, yes. Declarer played low. Corrected. Thx.

 

Partner however won't have KJTx because he'd have led the T.

Oops, silly me. I still raise with the Ace and continue maybe I mess up declarers entries.

 

/R

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Simple, p has Kxxxx or better in , and your opponent has at most J or Jx, so it's obvious he'll play low :o In some other suit partner needs a re-entry, so I'll respect my p, don't blow up my Ace, don't block the suit, and just take my Ace and return .

 

If a lead would've killed the contract, I'll search another partner since this one doesn't trust me... :o

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ah woops, still same line, he must have a reason to lead ...

The reason might ahve been he had AJx and wanted you to lead through declearer. :o (I am not suggesting this is the reason, but parners often lead your suit when they have nothing better to lead).

 

At imps I win the Ace and return a honor automatically. But this is not imps, but rather MP os you have to worry about overtricks. So let's count declearer's tricks. 2 in 's are sure, and we can expect 's are behaving for him (we have three to JACK) so he should have five, and possibly even six 's. Whatever honor partner has (if he has only one) it is dead. South could easily have KQ doubleton (giving him six tricks), or KJ or QJ, doubleton giving him the same six heart tricks. Add to that, he could have three to the K and that is also six tricks (this is matchpoints after all, West might try for higher scoring NT with some hands with support. I am beginning to get very worried. Six , 5 two clubs.... sounds like they might win a lot of tricks.

 

I am sorry, so I can't duck the first trick, nor can I win the A and passively return a . Declearer may have something like AQJxx KQ KJx Kxx. So, I win the ACE and immediatly return a low , putting declearer to the test. IF he plays me for two aces, and rises with the king, we get three tricks. Even if he refuses to go up, we win two tricks. This will still beat anyone in 4 or 4 who gets two rounds of on the first two tricks. And if he has 6 and two honors, beat anyone not cashing their two aces on the first two tricks.

 

Not exciting, but what else can I do?

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Let's see,

declarer has the cK, and dAK (or I switch my pd), he also has one or two heart honors, with KQJ my pd would have lead a heart instead of the doubftful club. With something in spades he could have overcalled 2NT, maybe not with 5 spades.

 

Declarer will play this hand in hearts and he has the cQ and the sK entries.... So I think he is likely to make 10 tricks (2c, 1s, 5h, 2d) maybe 11 with the dJ with an obvious finese.

 

I will play my pd yo have AQx of spades so I take the cA and switch to spades inmediately trying to liberate two defensive tricks before declarer stablishes hearts, if he can cash cA, one heart and two spades I'm sure 9 tricks will be an excellent result for us.

 

Luis

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The layout was

 

[hv=d=s&v=e&n=saxxhqjxdkxcjt8xx&w=sqt9xxhkxdajxck9x&e=skxhat98xxd9xcqxx&s=sjxxhxxdqt8xxxcax]399|300|Scoring: MP[/hv]

 

Club ace and club back was best, as pard had two entries. Declarer can still make 9 tricks by taking in hand and leading a spade to dummy. Pard must duck (otherwise decl has 4+2+1+2 tricks), and declarer switches to hearts, taking 1+5+1+2 tricks. Any other play and he's down. Most declarers would probably fail to see the need to play a spade before starting hearts.

 

Club ace and diamond back leads essentially to the same line, but from the bidding and lead, declarer is a favourite to have AKJ, so the club return seems better. Could partner have Axx or AJx and be waiting for a diamond through? Possible, but you have to know your partners to judge that. Most partners would have lead a diamond from that holding anyway.

 

Kibitzers reported that South wasn't too happy to see pard's Kx in the end!

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First of all North should have bid 3d. Specially NV vrs V, a lot of good things can happen after 3d.

Second a diamond lead is crystal clear. Imagine pd has QJTxxx of diamonds and the club ace, yes they do have a diamond stopper and no, they can't make 3NT unless... oh yes, unless you just lead another suit.

 

I think it is a horrible lead even if it was the succesful lead.

 

Btw: Bad problem without a diamond honor in north it would be interesting to check what line of defense should we take knowing that declarer has AKJ of diamonds.

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