Palo Alto Bridge Center 4/1

Another one from Neil.

You deal, J43 QT K53 AKT86

1C - 1N - p - 2D
p - 2H - ap

985
A97532
2
943
-------------------J43
-------------------QT
-------------------K53
-------------------AKT86

Partner leads the 5 of clubs. You win the club king, ace, partner following with the deuce. Lead a low club signaling a diamond return, partner ruffs with the 8. Partner returns a diamond to your king, and it holds. You lead another club, partner ruffs with the HJ, and you hold them to two. They missed this defense at the table; -110 wins all the matchpoints.

I came back and thought about it later. Is it right to go for the trump promo? I couldn't picture declarer with a spade loser (AKQ of spades, HK, CQ, DQ). I also felt certain that partner's hearts were J8 from the play. I guess it's possible that declarer started with KJxx, but I'm just not going to play for that. Maybe partner's diamond signals something?

I can't really think of any declarer hands where going for the trump promotion is bad though. Even if we have a spade trick coming, we simply lose our trump trick. And it's possible declarer can take a ruffing finesse in diamonds and pitch away dummy's third spade (AKx Kxx QJxx Qxx). All in all, it seems like the promotion is the way to go.