Transfer Break

3rd April – Board 4: Game All. Dealer West.

When partner transfers into a suit the opening bidder normally does as he is told but there are occasions when it is right to break the transfer. Usually this is because you are aware of a good fit when a thin game might be made but sometimes it helps keep the opposition out of the auction.

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

West	North	East	South
1NT	No	2H	No
3S	End

You might wonder why South did not double the 2H bid as an easy way of showing the suit and entering the auction with no risk attached but most good pairs reserve a double in this situations as a hand that would have doubled 1NT, i.e. a hand of a good 15 points or more. On a weaker hand you wait until the auction comes back to you when you double for take-out or simply bid a suit. If West had simply bid 2S as directed South would be able to back in with 3H and North would have an easy raise to game. However over 3S it is a different matter and South would probably let things be. It is true that 3S will be defeated by a trick but that is cheap compared to the vulnerable game the other side could have made.