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Down to Earth….almost!

Maybe you have been following the New Zealand Open team in action: maybe not. Perhaps some of the deals have been a bit too complex, especially the bidding. So, let’s come back to something a little simpler, though that does not mean it’s straightforward!

It’s time to plan the play. You are playing Matchpoint Pairs and overtricks do count!

 

 

What’s 3? Oh, supposedly weak but certainly annoying! You stretch a bit to bid 3. Maybe you should not as you hardly have a monster hand and have no liking for spades. However, you have a 6^th heart…and partner hears you and raises to game.

West leads Q and it looks like you should make an overtrick, discarding your third diamond on the A… easy! However, East overtakes at trick 1, cashes K with West following and then plays J on which West rather annoying ruffs with 7. Plan the play.

At least your contract looks secure. Yet, unless West had a fistful of hearts, you were heading for a comfortable overtrick. Now, you are not so sure. Where is the J? Will it appear if you play AK?

You have to over-ruff with Q or else there will never be an overtrick. What you do know is that West would not contribute a heart with Jxx..or would they?. They saw you bid 3 freely. They know you have at least six. There can be no gain, maybe!

However, say it was East who had that holding? That is  more likely and would explain the defence playing a third round of diamonds, not that a switch to either black suit would appeal.

So, are you there? You have to play a heart to the 10 and if that loses to now singleton or doubleton J in the West hand, you will just think unpleasant things but compliment the opponents on their defence!

 

 

Nothing so unpleasant as that happened. As East said, “I had to try it or else we would never make a trump trick.” Hopefully, you finessed and scored your overtrick. Sometimes, doing what seems the right thing does work.

Five declarers only made 10 tricks. I would suggest not everyone finessed.

Oh, and had you passed 3, your partner would have re-opened with a double. 3 looks like the right decision with opponents not vulnerable. Best defence against 3 will see this contract defeated by 3 tricks (club lead, two rounds of spades and then the defence play trumps) but that is only + 500. So, all routes should have led to 4.. making that overtrick. 

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