[Cyberyeti]

---

W leads ♦K, and E encourages with the 3, W now leads the 5♥ to the J and K and you ruff.

Matchpoints, weakish field plan the play.

[LBengtsson]

Weak field make game, no look for overtrick. ♣ may be 3-2 but as you and partner distribution is more wild than normal, I play for ♣ to be 4-1. so cash ♠A, draw (4) trump, ♥A and ♥ should be good minus ♥Q

[nige1]

.

CyberYeti 'W leads ♦K, and E encourages with the 3, W now leads the 5♥ to the J and K and you ruff. Matchpoints, weakish field. Plan the play.'
++++++++++++++++++++

IMO, keep it simple (as L Bengtsson advocates).
Ruff the ♥,
Cash ♣TJQK and ♥A.
Then concede a ♥.

---

[Cyberyeti]

Does the slightly odd looking heart switch not worry you that hearts are 6-1 ?

As I saw it there were 2 lines.

1: the one you both describe which deals with anything except hearts 6-1 or clubs 5-0, this was my first thought

2: cross with a trump, ruff a low heart, diamond ruff, draw trumps concede a heart (deals with opener 6133/6142, loses to trumps 4-1, makes an overtrick if switch from Qxx/xxxx)

Partner played something else (it didn't matter on the actual layout).

[mikeh]

West will not, unless exceptionally bad, have Qxx or xxxx in hearts. In fact, the heart switch makes very little sense in any event, even from a stiff.

A comment on the auction: I think north should bid 3H over 3C. South could easily hold xx in hearts, and 3H should be forcing one round

In a weak field, make the game you bid, without straining for overtricks unless you’re in the wrong game and need the overtrick to beat or match the right contract.

Here, some pairs will be in hearts but it’s tough to see how they’d reach 4H and tougher still to see them make unless hearts are breaking really well.

I’m going to pull trump and drive out the heart, paying to 6-1 rather than doing anything aggressive and losing to 4-1 clubs, which is a priori far more likely. Yes, I’d be worried about the heart. But bad players make bad plays, and little is more frustrating than letting a bad play persuade you to adopt a losing line.

[Cyberyeti]

mikeh, on 2021-February-13, 09:32, said:

West will not, unless exceptionally bad, have Qxx or xxxx in hearts. In fact, the heart switch makes very little sense in any event, even from a stiff.

Would you believe in actuality the low heart came from Qx at the table and the trumps split, so anything sensible leads to 12 tricks, that's a level up (or down) from exceptionally bad.