You are the declarer in 1NT. North leads the S2
1. Playing Matchpoints, should you try for overtricks or cash your winners?
2. Which extra winner can you establish?
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Gino's Comments
In this hand, you should try for the overtrick. This simple auction and opening lead are very likely to be duplicated in other tables, so a potential overtrick counts a lot when playing Matchpoints. Since you have 8 top winners, you do risk losing 6 tricks. However, holding a full stopper in hearts and a partial stopper in clubs, this scenario of losing 6 tricks is far fetched.
You can establish dummy's S8 for 9 winners. By the opening lead, North is known to hold 4 spades. First play the S9 from your hand, ducking from the dummy. North wins and will probably switch to hearts. You win the heart switch. In spades, after the 9, 10, K and Q/J were played, the SA8 in the dummy are a sure finesse position against North's only remaining honor, the SQ/J.
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