[manudude03]

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IMPs scoring, 1NT is 15-17, partner leads the ♠J (standard honour leads) and dummy ducks. What's the plan on defence? If you are ducking this, your agreement in this situation is that your card would be standard count.

[nige1]

manudude03 "IMPs scoring, 1NT is 15-17, partner leads the ♠J (standard honour leads) and dummy ducks. What's the plan on defence? If you are ducking this, your agreement in this situation is that your card would be standard count."

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Deal rotated to make South declarer. Prospects are bleak. I suppose you could overtake with ♠Q and switch to
- ♥J, hoping that partner has ♥AQT or
- better, perhaps, ♥5, hoping that partner has ♥ATxx or better.
But, on this layout, declarer could succeed by winning the opening lead.

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[gszes]

since I (aware of limited imagination) cannot dream of a legitimate defense to defeat 3n, I will depend on the skill of declarer, declarer disliked that spade lead for some reason and I see no reason to try any other defense. I will just give p even count and leave it up to them to figure out I have Qxxx and no obvious line of attack requiring me to overtake.

[sfi]

Overtaking and switching to the HJ can't really work. If partner has the HA and HQ, then declarer must have AK in both minors. With that hand they would simply win the first trick and cash 10 winners.

I don't see how ducking can help either. If partner has two side entries, we can only set up two spades as well for four total tricks.

So it looks like our only chance is to play for Nigel's layout. So overtake and play the H5.