All The Way

12^th March – Board 10. Game All. Dealer East.

If you are going to preempt do so to the limit as soon as possible in order to make life intolerable for the opposition.

	North: S K Q 9 6 4 3 2 H A 3 D none C K Q 6 5
West: S none H Q J 9 8 5 4 2 D 10 9 4 3 C A 8		East: S 10 8 H 10 7 D A K Q J 7 5 C 9 7 3
	South: S A J 7 5 H K 6 D 8 6 2 C J 10 4 2

West	North	East	South
		3D	No
5D	5S	No	??
End

I know you only have a six-card diamond suit but nobody worries about such niceties these days and after all you do have six (almost) certain tricks. West might be tempted into bidding 3H but if you do that you just know for sure that the next hand will back in with a spade bid or a take-out double or something similar and you just don’t want that to happen. So bid 5D instead and see what happens. On the actual hand North will undoubtedly bid 5S leaving his partner in a quandary and in such circumstances it is often best to let well alone. A small slam is laydown of course with no club ruff imminent so absolute par this time would be for E/W to sacrifice in 7D. Easy on paper, really difficult at the table.