Wrong Again

23rd April–Board 23. Game All. Dealer South.

Five level decisions are always difficult and I’m pretty sure I would have got the one shown below wrong too. ‘Not for the first time’, says my partner.

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

West	North	East	South
			1S
2NT	3D	5C	No
No	Dbl	End

2NT is unusual, showing the minors, and North should use this rude intervention to help his own side. Thus 3D is a ‘good’ high card raise to 3S while 3S would be a pre-emptive stretch. (Now you’re worrying about what 3C would mean.) Anyway it should be obvious to East to bounce to 5C as his minor suit holdings could hardly be better and I do not think that South should prejudge the issue. And that’s where it would all fall apart because I’m pretty sure I would double with the North hand and be disappointed when that contract is an easy make. (Declarer basically crossruffs after drawing trumps.) 5S on the other hand is quite likely to make unless E/W get their ruff so I could hardly be more wrong!