Fingers Crossed

6^th March – Board 5: North/South Game. Dealer North.

Any sort of preempt is designed to make life difficult for the opposition and sometimes one has to take a risk in order to bid the hand competently.

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

West	North	East	South
	No	No	2H
Dbl	No	2S	No
3C	No	3H	No
3NT	End

With such lovely intermediates South has an ideal weak two opener which causes a certain amount of distress in the Western corner. A 3C bid should not be considered because the hand is much too good and the usual approach on such hands is to start with a take-out double. Of course there is a danger that partner will insist on playing in spades at a high level but, fingers crossed, that just won’t happen because partner doesn’t figure to have too many points. And so it is. Partner has an easy 2S bid but now when you bid 3C you are showing a much better hand than just a 3C overcall. With his huge club support East should look for the no-trump game and bidding the opener’s suit asks if partner has a heart stop for 3NT. He has and bids just that, and with the queen of diamonds obligingly falling declarer will come to an easy eleven tricks.