Giving declarer too much credit

[jh51]

[hv=pc=n&s=s4hk8dk3caqjt7532&w=s8753hq93daj92ck4&n=sakjt92hj654d54c8&e=sq6hat72dqt876c96&d=s&v=e&b=3&a=1cp1sp5cppp&p=s8sas6s4c8c6cq]399|300[/hv]

 

Scoring is match points. North-South are not particularly good players.

 

At trick 3 I need to decide who has the Q♠. If it is partner, dummy is dead and I can exit safely with a trump. If declarer has it, I want partner to ruff a spade to kill dummy and establish the defensive book. I surely have a trick coming in a red suit.

 

I gave declarer too much credit on this hand. I assumed that the contract could be made with imperfect defense, and that declarer would have cashed a second spade if she had no more entries to dummy. I lead a spade and partner's Q fell as declarer discarded a diamond.

 

Declarer no led the J♠ which partner ruffed and declarer overruffed. Declarer drew my last trump on which my partner discarded the 7♥. Declarer now exited with the K♦. I now see that leading a diamond sets the contract 2 tricks, but I trusted partner's signal and lead a heart.

 

Down 1 was a tie for top because the contract was rediculous. But I have learned not to give took much credit to this pair's bidding or play.

[bd71]

Hi Jeff...a few comments and questions:

 

1. You're saying that maybe we shouldn't trust this South to do logical things...but I might be disinclined to think he has a doubleton spade given his bidding. At matchpoints, even with two spades I wonder if he would take a different approach to keep open a possible spade contract.

 

2. Not sure I understand your point that declarer should cash a 2nd spade right away. Especially if declarer holds the ♠Q, he wants to draw trump right away because if the ♣ finesse works he may be able to draw trump and make 7 by running ♠.

 

3. Maybe the experts will disagree, but I'm not sure I fault you or your partner for the end-game defense...endplaying declarer seems hard to me here. Perhaps unlikely, but declarer's 4 red cards could have been ♦KQTx in which case you leading a ♦ is really bad. I think your partner would also have to be pretty deep to see the endplay, so it's perfectly logical for him to show something in hearts.

[jh51]

2. Not sure I understand your point that declarer should cash a 2nd spade right away. Especially if declarer holds the ♠Q, he wants to draw trump right away because if the ♣ finesse works he may be able to draw trump and make 7 by running ♠.

 

Hi Barry.

 

What I was trying to say was that if declarer had the singleton spade, it makes sense for him to cash a second spade at trick 2, since he has no entry later. If he had a doubleton, you are correct as he might be able to take 13 tricks if the club finesse is correct. In this latter case, even with the finesse not working, declarer might make his contract if we do not take our setting tricks right away or at least kill his entry.

[phil_20686]

If declarer has two spades and an ace he will often refuse the club finesse: xx Ax x AQJtxxxx. This improves the chances of being able to get that all important discard.

 

In your defence, declarer has legitamately Grosvenored you, since his line is zero play, even if he brings in the clubs he must give up at least 3 more tricks. Instead he should pitch from one red suit, finesse in the other and hope for stiff K of clubs or Kx clubs onside with the short spades - as now ruffing gives up his club trick.

[JLOGIC]

The point of this excersize should be, even when the opponents make completely random bids (5C), and completely random plays (not cashing the 2nd spade), and the random play happens to work out brilliantly because you get confused, you still get a TOP. On average, you are doing extremely well against this. However, if you fail to give your partner a spade ruff worrying about this possibility, and declarer has his bid/play, you will just get a zero.

 

Oh, you didn't get a top, you got a tied for top. That is your own fault, you misdefended later in the hand. You should of course play a diamond back when you win the ace of diamonds. Your partner with AKT872 of hearts, even if he somehow failed to overcall 2H (ok, red/white, whatever maybe you're sound), he would never pitch the SEVEN of hearts. He would pitch the ten, and even if he felt like he couldn't waste the ten, he would pitch the 8. You blew it there, sorry. That was the reason you did not get all the matchpoints on the hand.

 

Just focus on continuing to make good plays. I'm not sure how the lesson you could take from this hand was that you shouldn't have returned a spade.

 

If your partner had played the DEUCE of clubs it would be different, since your partner should be giving you high/low in trumps if he wants a spade ruff, however you had no way to know the 6 was not his highest.