The 4-3-2-1 point count system is used by most people to evaluate their
hands, but this doesn't help when it comes to the intermediate spot
cards. This hand is a good example of their importance.
Scoring: Matchpoints (Pairs)
Hand #37
Dlr
N
Vul
E-W
J1092
AK54
A83
72
K5
QJ6
1075
KQ1083
8643
87
QJ942
A9
AQ7
10932
K6
J654
West
North
East
South
1
Pass
1
Pass
2
All Pass
BIDDING: The auction was
straight forward. South thought about trying for game but decided
to take his plus score. West might have ventured an overcall but
the vulnerability convinced him to defend.
PLAY: East overtook his
partner's king of club and led one back. South ducked the nine of
clubs but West won with the ten to play a third round. His play
of the queen requested a spade return. (A low club would have
asked for a diamond return.) Declarer saw no good choice and
finally ruffed with the four. East over-ruffed and obediently
returned a spade. Now South had another dilemma: should he be
talked out of the spade finesse or go up with the ace? Since this
was a pairs event and overtricks were important, he played low but West
won the spade king. Now another club gave declarer yet another
option. He finally ruffed low and East gleefully won the heart
eight. Declarer still had another trump to lose and ended up down
one.
Declarer had two ways to make this contract. He could ruff the
third club high or he could have refused the spade finesse. A
wily defender will often give false signals attempting to persuade
declarer to take (or refuse) finesses so perhaps it wasn't that clear
the spade finesse was going to lose. Notice the value of the
heart eight; if it had been in dummy rather than the four, declarer
would have had no problem.
