Matters Of Trust

29th March – Board 16. North/South Game. Dealer West.

Bridge is all about trust and while bidding grand slams is seldom easy (I should know) I think the featured hand should be more or less routine.

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

West	North	East	South
No	2C/2D	No	2S
No	3S	No	4D
No	7S	End

We normally relay after partner makes a strong bid but if we don’t we are carrying a specific message. Here 3S over 2C/2D shows a good suit, usually six cards or more, in a good hand. So North has no reason to introduce his own suit but instead should tell partner what he wants to hear – support – and KQx is more than adequate. Now South cue-bids in diamonds and although this would normally show first round control, when one half of the partnership has a significantly weaker hand and can’t be expected to hold a plethora of aces then it is fine to show second round controls. ( And of course holding  xx(x) in diamonds himself North is hardly likely to get excited anyway.) Given all that it is hard for North to construct a hand when 7S isn’t laydown.