Golden Opportunity

4^th April – Board 1: Love All. Dealer North.

Minor suit transfers should be an integral part of everyone’s system but you should also be aware of a little sophistication that can occur as well.

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

West	North	East	South
	No	No	1NT
No	2S*	No	2NT**
No	3NT	End

* = transfer to clubs.

** = showing A, K or Q to at least three.

Playing full minor suit transfers 2S over 1NT is a transfer to clubs and 2NT over 1NT is a transfer to diamonds. However the opener can always break the transfer to indicate a good fit and he does this by bidding 2NT over 2S to show a top honour to three or more in clubs and 3C over 2NT to show a top honour to three or more in diamonds. Of course if responder has no game ambitions then he merely bids three of his minor but occasionally, as here, a golden opportunity might present itself to bid game on inadequate values. Over 2NT and therefore knowing of the club fit, North boldly bid to the no-trump game and was rewarded when nine easy tricks rolled in.

Delicate Approach

18th October – Board 17: Love All. Dealer North.

Slams are often hard to bid unless both halves of the partnership hold a gazillion points and for that reason if no other it is usually right to try and paint a delicate picture with a series of forcing bids rather than just wheel out the Old Black as soon as possible.

2NT is a transfer to 3♦ but it is a good idea to allow the opener to break the transfer to 3♣ with a top honour to three or better. Here, when North just completes the transfer, South knows that either the king of diamonds is missing or that partner holds K x precisely. (If you don’t play minor suit transfers you just must. They’re easy to learn and fun.) Over 3♦ 3♥ is natural and forcing and over the sign-off in 3NT 4♦ is also forcing and shows a six-card diamond suit. 4♠ is a cue-bid and now 4NT is everyone’s favourite convention. 5♣ shows three key-cards and 6♦ says enough is enough. Impressed? Well you shouldn’t be. The best contract is 7♣, with both 7♦ and 7NT being just about within the odds. Some hands are just too difficult.