Matchpoints

By nature, I'm more of an IMPs player than a MPs player. Maybe it's my misspent youth playing rubber bridge. (Wait, how is that misspent?) Whatever the reason, I tend to have the "just make the contract" mentality.

I'm getting better at being trick hungry on defense. I'm always looking out for the extra undertrick, or at least to gobble up the overtricks. When I'm declaring, though, I seem to have a mental lull.

Last night, I had a hand where, after 4 tricks, I had the 3 remaining trump in hand, and a running 6 card diamond suit on the board. So why did I concede the club ace? By the cold light of morning, I have no idea.

A better (?) hand from me:



I got a diamond lead. I inserted the ten, which held.

The question is whether or not to try for more than 1 spade trick. The contract is safe - I can survive losing a spade finesse followed by a heart switch (barely).

The next question is how to play the spades. At the table, I played low to the Ten. West held the KJxx in spades, so nothing was ever going to work. Still, I think low to the Queen is the better play if I'm going to try for the extra trick. If I just cash out, I have 11 tricks. If I lose the spade finesse and they take 2 heart tricks, I'm down to 10 tricks. If spades work out for me I have 12 winners, but only if they don't cash out first. It would be small compensation to see the king played on the Ten, only to have the defense claim 2 heart tricks.

(Of course, defense returned a club. Sometimes, I think I'm that the weak/inconsistent opposition in the ACBL games isn't helping me at all....)

Ok, so I still got it wrong - assuming that the field is always taking 11 tricks (which I think they are, but you never know). Still, I can take solace that I was at least THINKING along the right lines.