Too Risky

24^th May – Board 7. Game All. Dealer South.

It would be tempting for East to protect with 2H in the pass out position on the hand shown below but playing pairs and with the wrong vulnerability it is perhaps a little too risky.

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

West	North	East	South
			1NT
End

South will likely make nine tricks in 1NT on a club lead assuming he plays a diamond to the nine at trick two but just eight on a spade lead. (It is hard to say which is the best lead for West.) East might consider bidding 2H but with such poor impletion in his suit it doesn’t look right. That bid would pass round to North who should double, not for penalties but to show he is alive and that his side has the balance of the points. South would pass and collect 500 but even one down is rewarded with 200 points, just about the worse thing that can happen playing pairs when neither side has the values for game.