Imagine that on Board 2 from last Monday you are sitting South, expecting to open the bidding with 1C and working your way to a game, perhaps in 3NT, when East puts paid to this idea by opening 3D. This shows a seven-card diamond suit but a weak hand otherwise and is intended to take up your bidding space. Your best action now is to double, which shows a strongish hand and asks North to bid North’s best suit. In this case North is strong enough to jump to 4H (hearts). The only trouble is that East/West won’t go away; they raise the bidding to 5D – being prepared to fail in that contract in order to stop you from making 4H.
It is usually not a good idea to follow your opponents to the five level, but this hand is an exception. In 5H North/South will lose only the King of hearts and the Ace of diamonds. At one table, North/South could not be sure that this was the case and passed. They defeated 5D by two tricks by cashing their Aces and Kings. Plus 100 looked like a poor return instead of the 650 they would have made if they had been allowed to play in hearts. Sadly for the brave pair who reached 5D, they scored only 33 per cent when at too many other tables East/West were allowed to play in 3D and achieved positive scores. Sandra Head and Lois James did best for North/South with 4H making eleven tricks; Pat Kelly and John Nankervis scored a top East/West with ten tricks in 3D.
Results: Friday, 23/09/22 (4 & ½-table Howell): J. Rose D. Moran (67.4) 1; N. Collins J. Nankervis (62.5) 2; N. Bonnell B. Bonnell (55.6) 3. Monday, 29/09/22 (4 & ½-table Howell): P. Kelly J. Nankervis (60.4) 1; L. James S. Head (59.0) 2; H. Price R. Hart (57.6) 3.
