Sometimes it's right to look at the vulnerability and remain
silent. Here's a hand where a defender didn't follow that
important bit of advice.
Scoring: Matchpoints (Pairs)
Hand #40
Dlr
E
Vul
N/S
96
J2
AQ82
A9872
Q73
K7543
K7
KJ10
10842
Q986
543
63
AKJ5
A10
J1096
Q54
West
North
East
South
Pass
1NT
2
3NT
All Pass
BIDDING: After South
opened 1NT, West counted his twelve points and decided he should
bid his anemic heart suit. North looked at the vulnerability and
bid 3NT instead of making a penalty double.
PLAY: West led his
fourth best heart and was delighted to see his partner win the
queen. East was careful to return the nine of hearts to unblock
the suit and declarer won the ace. Declarer realized that with
such a weak suit, it was likely that West held the rest of the other
missing
high cards. Proceeding on that assumption, declarer led the jack
of diamonds and quickly wrapped up that suit. On the run of the
diamonds, declarer watched West squirm as he first discarded the club
ten and then a low heart.
East discarded a heart on the fourth diamond. Next, South played
ace, king, and a third spade. West won
the spade queen, cashed his two heart tricks, but then had to lead a
club to declarer's queen. That was nine tricks and a nice result
for North-South.
Without the overcall, South would very likely have taken the spade
finesse in search of his ninth trick. Perhaps West should have
realized that if he could make a heart partial, it was unlikely the
vulnerable opponents would succeed at 1NT.
Also notice the defensive error: after winning the spade queen
West could get out of the end play by playing a small heart to his partner's
eight. Then a club return would mean the end for declarer.
