One of my friends, an instrumentation engineer, is fond of opening ‘light’, often putting his partners in a dilemma of whether to bid game or stay out of it. If they bid and go down, he would say ‘You know very well I open sub-minimum hands’ and if they stay out of game and it makes, he would say ‘You guys are too timid to play bridge’.
Today’s deal is from the last round of a Team-of-Four Swiss 15 years ago, where he was instrumental in taking his team to the next stage of Round Robin play-off, by his light opening. Of course, he was lucky with the way the cards were distributed in the defenders’ hands. Enjoy the deal.
Contract: 4H by south. West led the D2, lowest from odd. East played the nine and declarer won with the ace. How did the play continue?
Play: Declarer took the marked club finesse at trick two. After discarding two of his spade losers on the CA and the DK, he called for the heart ten from dummy, to the queen, king, and the ace. West exited in a diamond, declarer ruffing. When he cashed the HJ next, East showed out by discarding a high spade. This meant that he had three trump losers!
What should the declarer do next?
Discussion
Despite the bad break, declarer knew the hand was cold.
He played a trump to West’s seven. West cashed the heart nine but had only clubs left in his hand and was end-played! In the actual game, west played the CK.
Declarer ruffed, entered dummy by the SA and discarded his losing spade on the established jack of clubs, to chalk up the game.
This was the full hand
Comments on the bidding
I don’t think anyone will open the South hand. Nor will anyone in the Sest seat overcall 2C. North was hoping south would reopen with a double which he could pass, converting it into penalty. Having opened very light, some south might have passed but our man did well not to pass but rebid 2H. North had his bid of 3NT which south wisely converted to 4H.
At the other table both South and West passed their hands and North opened 1D. East overcalled 1S and South bid 2H which everyone passed!
Do put down your comments on the hand in the comments section below
Disclaimer : All opinions are entirely those of the author and are no reflection of the views of the BridgeFromHome Team.
It’s a normal opening bid in modern bridge.
It’s a 6-loser hand.
It enabled N-S to avoid the disastrous 4S contract.
West’s Diamond lead gave the contract. Club lead indicated in this auction. “With trump strength, lead length” is a solid motto
2C would be overcall do by many, rightly or wrongly.
Reopening with a double nets a huge score in 2C doubled. So did South do well? When 4H could/should go down.
The other table bidding is atrocious
Passing 2H – really?