After winning the opening heart lead, most declarers drew trumps and tried a diamond lead from dummy, hoping to sneak a trick with the stiff king. Not a chance with the A in West. Others tried in vain to establish the long heart. There's not much to the hand. An expert matchpoint player knows that every trick counts, and he always looks for a chance to beat other pairs.
Opportunity knocks here.
Suppose declarer ducks the opening lead. Declarer wins the K, draws trumps, and ruffs out his club loser in dummy. That's 12 tricks for a top board. Holiday Flashback Many will remember the lovable Ed Metz, who had a fixation for the finer points of the game. Rumors are that he once spent hours explaining the intricacies of a crisscross squeeze to his female partner, who of course used the opportunity to catch up on her sleep.