Here are a couple of decisions I got wrong in a matchpoints tournament today.

K53 / T8753 / QJ62 / 2

 

1st all white

Uncontested auction, starting on your left

1 Spade - 1NT - 3NT

What do you lead?

 

Problem 2

Q84 / KQ752 / KQ85 / T

2nd, unfavorable
 
Righty passes.  You bid 1 Heart.  Pard responds 1 Spade.  Righty bids 2 Clubs.

Pard is unfamiliar (you're subbing) but his profile says Expert, so hopefully he'll read your double as either a support double (which you have) or a takeout double (which you have.)

Whether he did or didn't, you're on lead to 2 Clubs doubled.


The first problem, I lied.  My partner was on lead with this hand.  It takes a Diamond lead to hold the contract to 4.  (A round suit gets you -460 and a Spade lead gets you -490.)

AQJ97 / A6 / A7 / A754

- / J942 / T9 / KQJ9863

I glanced at the hand afterwards and thought a Diamond switch by me would also hold it to 4, but of course it's too late (11 top tricks.)

I held

T8642 / KQ / K8543 / T

http://online.bridgebase.com/myhands/fetchlin.php?id=4096127&when_played=1188082800

The second problem requires a non-Spade lead.

I led the 4 of Spades (my partner's suit) from Q84 and partner saw K965 in Dummy and played the Ten from T732, a no-win play that gave Declarer 4 tricks in the suit.  But even if he ducks, we're -180, which is good for average minus.  -280 was worth about 25% of the matchpoints.

K965 / AT43 / T963 / A

 

AJ / J86 / J4 / Q97654

 

After Declarer wins the first 2 Spades and crosses with the Ace of Clubs (drawing my only trump) to cash 2 more Spades, it's hard to see the defense getting to 6 tricks.

 

Pard held

 

T732 / 9 / A72 / KJ832

 

I'd have passed the double as well.  Moyses don't play well when the 4 card suit looks like that.