[akwoo]

I think I'll start a series of these, coming from hands I think I screwed up.

(Board 25 from August 13 Common Game if you want to cheat and look at all 4 hands.)

---

Matchpoints, 1N is 15-17, and 2H showed hearts and spades (which is why you didn't make a negative double).

You lead the TD, partner winning the AD, dropping declarer's QD. Partner returns the 2D, ruffed by declarer with the 4H. Declarer crosses to the AS and leads the TS to the 4S and your QS, your partner contributing (in order) the 2S and 8S, upside down count.

What now? Reasons please?

[Cyberyeti]

Is 2♥ always 5-5 or can it be 5-4 ? I'm assuming 5-5 for this answer.

Partner appears to have xx, HHx(x), AKJx, Q/xxx(x) with 5 or more points in hearts, so he can assuredly overruff dummy twice

You are probably making 3♦ but you don't appear to be getting 150 out of this.

best chance ? play partner for xx, KQx, AKJx, Qxxx, return 9♠ the lower of your remaining spades, hope partner overruffs, returns a club and overruffs while you still have a trump trick to come, this is -1 and possibly not a lot of MPs.

[gszes]

I sort of like the idea of returning another diamond. If P has the hand speculated above we still set it one. Declarer might err and we set it more. What I really like about another dia play is how well it works when declarer started with only 4 hearts. They lose control right away and suddenly + 150 becomes a possibility

[mikeh]

Few would require 5-5 at this vulnerability so, while clearly he might be 5-5, I think we should consider 5-4 hands

Anyway, partner is virtually assured of holding the club Queen and, if declarer is 5=5=1=2, we can’t stop the club king scoring while if he’s 5=4=1=3 we can do a LOT of damage by playing A then J of clubs.

My J9 of hearts rate to be very useful against 5413.

So I play the club Ace and then the Jack.

Btw, I wouldn’t worry about 3D. In a NA field, 15-17 is by far the most common notrump range and, even if RHO passed, we’re not finding 3D. And if RHO has a ‘normal’ white v red KJxxx Axxxx x xx we’re never playing 1N either, so ignore ‘our’ contracts.

If he’s KJxxx A10xx x xxx, that’s a very aggressive overcall (one of my regular partners would argue that it’s mandatory…me…I’m ok with passing) and now we might play 1N (imo it’s nuts to respond with a flat 8 count including two jacks) and we’ll score 120 or 150 so we need to carve them up if that’s the case.

Btw, letting declarer score three diamond ruffs when he holds either KJxxx A10xxx x xx or KJxxx A10xx x xxx is very bad! So, whatever we do, we never play diamonds again.

[akwoo]

I didn't ask, in part because I doubted the opponents actually had an agreement - but I would be surprised if 2H promised 5-5. It's far more likely that they could even bid it with 4-4 and a good hand, but dummy and I combined have far too much for that.

I'm just as baffled as mikeh as to how 3 pairs out of 5 ended up in 2N - it wasn't that terrible a field (and I think everyone was playing 15-17).

I won't say how I screwed up, except to say that I should remember the general advice to think about what's going on before thinking about what to do.

[AL78]

gszes, on 2023-August-25, 19:35, said:

I sort of like the idea of returning another diamond. If P has the hand speculated above we still set it one. Declarer might err and we set it more. What I really like about another dia play is how well it works when declarer started with only 4 hearts. They lose control right away and suddenly + 150 becomes a possibility

I am thinking along this line, force declarer again and hope he loses control of the hand.