When It All Goes Wrong But Ends Up Right

Here’s one of those occasions where everything goes wrong, but the result ends up just as you would expect it to.

This hand is from a recent Priday Cup session.

N/S Vul - Dealer South

All four players made errors on this hand -you judge who was most to blame.

• - South opened with a pass - 10 out of 10.


• - West’s 1♠ opener was also standard but then North really stirred up the auction with a takeout double that was at least a King under strength! But as he knew this he was now ‘in control’ -if you are going to psyche this is a much more sensible one than opening the bidding on a 2 count.


• - East now redoubled - er no, this is NOT a redouble - too many spades and not enough points (see Reese Complete Book of Bridge page 155. Or for a more ‘modern’ approach to bidding after 1♠ - Double try Robson and Segal Partnership Bidding at Bridge page 61-62).


• - Now it was South’s turn -I bid 2♠ to show my values and ‘two places to play’. As the easily offended may read about this hand, I cannot give full details of top players comments about this bid -**##** seems to cover it.

Opinion seems divided between 2♣ and 2♦ but the logic behind the latter ‘for the lead’ is compelling. Somewhere there are 13 spades in this deal - the opponents must have 9 or 10 of them we are NOT going to be playing this hand.

West doubled (this should suggest looking for a penalty) and when this was passed back to me I ran to 3♣.
West now bid 3♠, a poor effort as his partner may well be waiting to punish 3♣ - he has already shown his hand and with good defence opposite the likely misfit for spades pass is clear cut. I have some sympathy for East now when he raised to game - Qxx in trumps looks big although things would have been much easier for him if he had raised spades in the first place.

I forgot to double and partner kicked off with a top club which I discouraged but he played a second one anyway. A heart switch gives it to them on the actual layout but a diamond switch can be equally bad if declarer has Jxx and Ax of hearts - unable to decide between the red suits I played another club, another poor effort - a diamond is clear cut.

Now declarer, not content with his poor bidding missed two winning lines of play!

• - He drew two rounds of trumps ending in dummy and took a losing heart finesse.


• - North returned a diamond and that took out the entry for the heart Jack.


• - Declarer had been lazy with the trump pips keeping the 4 in dummy but NOT keeping the 3 in hand to create an entry.

Declarer can off course get home even if the trumps are 3-1.

• - Draw trumps


• - Play Ace and Queen of hearts - the position of the K♥ is irrelevant and no need to worry about trump pip entries.

‘Simon P Heart’