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Deal Analysis
by Dan Jacobson
I Hate Matchpoints
My partners and opponents have, on occasion, heard me exclaim, “I hate matchpoints!” It is usually when I am trying to decide whether or not to risk a cold contract in pursuit of overtricks. At teams, you play safe to make your contract and don’t worry too much about missing overtricks. At matchpoints, overtricks are critically important. And it is essential to try for overtricks even when your contract is not in danger.
Playing matchpoints, none vulnerable, you (South) hold ♠A64 ♥AKJ72 ♦K104 ♣Q9.
The auction: S W N E
1♥ 2♦ 3♦ P
4♥ P P P
West leads the ♠7 and you get a pretty good dummy:
♠K105
♥Q1096
♦Q3
♣A654
♠A64
♥AKJ72
♦K104
♣Q9
It looks like you have 10 easy tricks (barring a 4-0 trump split): 2 spades, 5 hearts, 1 diamond, 1 club and a diamond ruff in dummy. Or, counting losers, you’ll lose 1 spade, 1 diamond and 1 club. But this is matchpoints - is there any chance for that all-important overtrick?
You and dummy have 28 high card points, so the opponents have 12. West has made a 2-level overcall so he has most of them. Maybe West has underled the ♠QJ. You try the ♠10 but East plays the ♠J. (If you play the ♠5 instead, East will play the ♠8.) You win your ♠A.
Maybe you can lead up to your ♣Q to set up a club for a spade discard. Not likely. The opening lead appears to be from shortness which means East has the ♠QJ. Then West must have the ♣K and the rest of the high cards to justify his overcall. So leading toward the ♣Q is not likely to work.
You play the ♥AK and both opponents follow. What is West’s distribution? He made a 2♦ overcall with only 9 high card points, so he is likely to have 6+ diamonds. If he has led a singleton or doubleton spade, you can endplay West.
Lead a diamond toward dummy. West must duck or he gives you two diamond tricks. Win the ♦Q and cash the ♠K. Playing the ♠K at this point is crucial because it removes a safe exit for West, if he started with 2 spades. Next play a diamond and when East plays low, put in the ♦10. Not surprisingly, West wins his ♦J and correctly continues with the ♦A. Here are your cards when West plays the ♦A:
♠5
♥Q10
♦ - -
♣A654
♠6
♥J72
♦K
♣Q9
Even though it’s tempting, do not ruff the ♦A. If you do, you will still lose a spade and a club, making ten tricks, but no overtrick. Instead, discard a spade from dummy and West is endplayed. He has only diamonds and clubs. If he plays a diamond you ruff in dummy and discard your club loser. If he plays a club you run it to your queen. Either way you’ve scored that valuable overtrick. Maybe playing matchpoints ain’t so bad after all.
The full deal:
♠K105
♥Q1096
♦Q3
♣A654
♠72 ♠QJ983
♥84 ♥53
♦AJ9872 ♦65
♣KJ10 ♣8732
♠A64
♥AKJ72
♦K104
♣Q9
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