Every Little Helps

14^th November – Board 17: Love All. Dealer North.

Intervention by East should perhaps have aided North on the featured hand although as is so often the case one has to have total confidence in partner’s actions.

	North: S K Q 7 H K 6 4 2 D A 4 C A Q J 7
West: S J 10 4 2 H A Q 10 8 5 D J 10 C 10 9		East: S A 8 6 3 H J 9 3 D K Q 6 3 2 C K
	South: S 9 5 H 7 D 9 8 7 5 C 8 6 5 4 3 2

West	North	East	South
	2C	2D	No
No	Dbl	No	2NT
No	3C	End

The 2C bid shows either an Acol 2 in an unspecified suit or a balanced 19/20 points and while it might look tempting to bid 2NT after the intervention it must surely be better to double, for what else could that show but the balanced hand variety and ostensibly for take-out? Now South is in a Lebensohl position. 3C would show some values while 2NT shows next to nothing and demands that opener bids 3C which of course South would pass. Strangely 2NT can make on a low diamond lead. When West plays the ten he is marked with the jack also for East would surely have led the king from a sequence headed by KQJxx. So if North wins the first trick, cashes the ace of clubs and finds out the good news, he can actually now play a top spade. East can win but the diamonds are now blocked and with the heart ace in the West hand communications between the two hands are severed. In all declarer will make one spade, one diamond and six clubs!