Old Fashioned


11th December – Board 16. East/West Game. Dealer West.
Some bids seem to go out of fashion but the demise of the jump shift over partner’s opening seems to me to be terribly wrong.

North:
S Q 9 7 4 2
H 8 5
D J 5 3
C J 8 6

West:
S K 3
H 6 4 3
D A K Q 10 9 6
C A 9

East:
S A J
H A K Q 10 9 2
D 8 7 4 2
C 4

South:
S 10 8 6 5
H J 7
D none
C K Q 10 7 5 3 2


  West
 North
  East
  South
     1D
   No
    2H
    3C
     3D
   No
   4NT
    No
     5C
   No
    5S
    No
     6S
   No
    7D
   End


See how easy it all is if East makes a jump shift at his first go, showing a game-going hand with a good heart suit. (A response of 1H leads to all sorts of rebid problems with the result that you are always trying to catch up – usually by manufacturing bids that partner cannot pass.) 4NT asks for key-cards and 5C shows three. 5S asks for the trump queen and West shows that card plus the king of spades and now East knows every card in his partner’s hand that matters. I know 7H or 7NT also make but as far as East is concerned he may want to establish the hearts with a ruff if partner started with one or two low cards there. With the right tools the hand is easy – without it less so.

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