Giving a Hand by Foxymoron

"Can I give you a hand?" I asked when Stefanie was cooking in the kitchen. "Sure, you can peel some potatoes", she replied. "I didn't mean that," I continued undeterred, "You are playing matchpoints and you hold, with both sides vulnerable:

♣AT7 ♥K97 ♦542 ♠A762. Partner opens 1NT, 12-14 and the next player passes, Do you invite game?"

"I would pass opposite you", she replied unkindly. I did pass, opposite her, so I suppose I deserved that. The hand evaluates at 11.35 on the K-R scale so is a marginal invite. One can get close to this as well by adding half for each ace, deducting a quarter for each queen and jack, deducting a half for 4-3-3-3, leaving 4-4-3-2 as it is and adding a half for 5-3-3-2. Tens are interesting,. Add a quarter for each ten over 1 and deduct a quarter if you don't have one. So this hand is around 11.5 

I plugged in partner's hand as well and that came out at 13.2. So game is no bargain.

I guess I should invite, however, as defence is harder than offence. On a diamond lead, declarer should play the hearts from the top, making three tricks in that suit when they are 3-3 or a doubleton honour appears, but most lines work. With the club finesse right, that is two spades, three hearts, one diamond and three clubs. Some did not manage those, so we got only a little below average. And game is only around 50% on a double dummy simulation, which tends to bias in favour of the declarer.

Matchpoints is a difficult game and in top events it might be right to pass with a 11-count as going one off in 2NT or game is always a bad score. But in the average club duplicate, perhaps one should try to do what you think the field will do. Some play in response to 1NT that 2S is 11 points or to play in 3 of a minor, the so-called McKendrick Convention. That would have worked well here.