Sour Grapes

15th March – Board 2: North/South Vul. Dealer East.

Any pair who bid to game on the East/West cards on the deal shown below can consider themselves to have done well, with both 4S and 5D making on minimum values. The auction might take many turns but the one featured seems to be about right.

West	North	East	South
		1D	No
1S	No	2D	No
2H	No	3D	No
4D	No	5D	End

At adverse vulnerability I do not think North should get involved so the likelihood is that East will bid diamonds three times – to show seven – whereupon with a potential ruffing value in clubs West should try for game. Game is not a gimmee by any means of course and if you swap the North and South hands around would not make, but as it is with the gentle distribution declarer should come to twelve tricks in comfort. As an aside we lost eleven imps for bidding 5D when our teammates were unlucky enough to have a slam bid against them. I make 6D a 10% prospect. Not that I’m bitter.