Play with an Expert

How many Souths bid 2D? Here it should have serves very badly for those who did. 1. It pinpoints trick number ten in NT for EW who can gain more matchpoints now by playing in NT. Secondly, it allows West to freely bid 2H confirming the sixth heart. Thirdly it diverts partner from the right lead of a club which would be made without you. Against 3 NT NS have to defend very carefully to hold declarer to nine tricks. Try to resist the temptation to bid without good reason to. Without South's intervention, west will bid 2H. E continues with 3C, W will bid 3H and East will raise to 4H, a superior contract .

North is likely to open just 1S, it rarely pays to open a Strong Two bid with a good two-suiter unless at least one suit is solid. Unfortunately for NS, 1S may be passed out. When EW do enter the auction NS are likely to reach game.

Notice the effect of the 4S bid. In the bidding it keeps the opponents from competing. In defence, NS should win a trick in every suit - but how to untangle them? Well done to those who succeeded in beating 4S by their powers of deduction. Here are a couple of clues. After a low club lead, you win the Ace and then what? We know partner has a odd number of clubs ie partner would have lead a higher card than the three with two clubs. Consider a moment where your tricks might come from. If we can take a trick in every suit, we will beat 4S. Partner needs to supply the spade trick, now for the red suits. If East has the AH then you have no source of tricks in that suit, and worse partner might have the QH and declarer can throw losers away. Ergh! Perhaps partner has only one club - that would be cool - a trick! But having decided we already need partner to make a spade trick anyway we can eliminate a club return. So the spotlight falls to the diamond suit. If partner has the AD or the QD we will take four tricks. Done - why wait. Lead a diamond at trick two.

East will open 1D and S will bid 3S or 4S. West is likely to raise his partner’s Diamonds. A contract of 5D is a likely resting place for EW. This is a straightforward contract to make, losing only a Club and a Heart. The computer says E can make twelve tricks. Let us say South leads a Spade. Declarer draws trumps, cashes his second high Spade and the Ace of Clubs and then plays Ace and another Heart. South has to win and has only Spades left. When he now leads a Spade East ruffs in dummy and discards the Club loser in his own hand. A line of play that is very unlikely to be found at the table.