NS 5♠; NS 4N; NS 2♥; EW 1♦; W 1♣; Par +450

West    North   East     South

            1♣       Pass    1♠

Pass    2NT     Pass    3♠

Pass    4♠        All Pass

South’s 3♠ was forcing and she might equally have well have gone directly to 4♠ over 2NT.  But, one way or the other, surely the entire field will be in 4♠, making 11 tricks when both the ♥A and ♣A are onside.

NS 4♣; S 2N; W 2♠; N 1N; NS 2♦; E 1♠; EW 1♥; Par +130

West    North   East     South

                        Pass    Pass

Pass    2NT     All Pass

After a 2NT opening, very few partnerships can get out in 4♣, so most Norths will labor in 2NT.  That’s down one when East leads the ♠J.  Declarer plays the Queen from Dummy but when that is covered with the King, it’s a case of undertrick minimization.  Declarer wins, and does better to play on Clubs (they require a 2-2 break, which is 40% likely), rather than Diamonds which require the 36% 3-3 break.  Down only one when the Clubs do break.  Of course the hand would have played better from the South hand, that way the defender with the ♠K would be on opening leading and 8 tricks can be made.

Back to the bidding.  West might well have thrown in a light third-seat opening, all the more so considering the vulnerability.  Perhaps that would lead to this auction:

            West    North   East     South

                                     Pass    Pass

            1♥        Dbl      1♠        Pass

            2♠        2NT     All Pass

Different auction, same rotten contract.

NS 5♥; NS 3N; NS 3♠; N 4♣; S 3♣; N 2♦; S 1♦; Par +450

West    North   East     South

1♣

Pass    1♦        Pass     1♥

Pass    4♥        All Pass

Against 4♥, West would do well to lead a trump, after which Declarer’s best chance of coming to 10 tricks is to establish the Clubs, as follows: Win the trump lead on the board, low Club to East’s King; win trump return in hand; Club ruff; back to the ♠Q; Club ruff; back to ♠J; draw the last trump and concede a Club and a Diamond.  Declarer never does score the ♠A and K♠, instead her tricks are 4 trumps, 2 Club ruffs, 2 Spades, and 2 Clubs.

For you double dummy enthusiasts there is a way to make 11 tricks!

            Win the opening Heart lead

            Cash ♠Q and ♠J

            Cross to Dummy with a Heart

            Cash  ♠A and ♠K, pitching Diamond (East cannot ruff 4^th round of Spades!)

            Club to East’s King

                                    North

                                    ♠

                                    ♥ JT

                                    ♦ QJ76

                                    ♣

            West                                        East

            ♠                                              ♠

            ♥ 8                                          ♥

            ♦ 9832                                     ♦ AKT

            ♣ 4                                          ♣ AT2

                                    South

                                    ♠

                                    ♥ A9

                                    ♦

                                    ♣ QJ97

Now, East cannot play the ♣A (that would be twelve tricks), so does best to try the ♦A.  But Declarer pitches a Club on this and now whatever East does presents Declarer with her 11^th trick.

EW 6♣; EW 4♦; EW 2N; NS 1♠; NS 1♥; Par −1370

West    North   East     South

1♣       Pass    2♣        Pass

3♥        Pass    5♣       All Pass

-         East’s 2♣ was an Inverted Raise, showing Club support, no 4-card major and at least game-invitational values.  West may have only 7 HCP but he’s still full value for that 2♣.

-         South sensibly passed, nothing good could happen by making a Takeout Double, that would serve no purpose other than to tell E-W where the missing high cards were.

-         How about West’s 3♥?  That is generally played as a splinter, after which East sensibly chose to bid 5♣.

It turns out that E-W have 12 easy tricks thanks to the lovely Diamond fit, but that’s a tough slam to bid on a combined 21 HCP.  In fact, we’ll bet that many E-W pairs do not even get to game. 

W 5N; W 5♠; E 4♠; E 3N; W 2♥; EW 3♦; W 3♣; E 2♣; E 1♥; Par −460

West    North   East     South

            Pass    1♦        Pass

1♠        Pass    2♠        Pass

4♠        All Pass

West has no reason to make a slam try with that mediocre 16-count, his hand is just not good enough.  In fact, those Wests who get carried away may well go minus even if they put the brakes on at the 5-level.

The play in 4♠ is very interesting!  After due deliberation North leads the Club Four, won in Dummy.

What’s the percentage play in the trump suit?  For those who have not memorized The Dictionary of Suit Combinations, here are the probabilities:

1. Cash the Ace … that’s 60% to pick up the suit for one loser
2. Run the Jack, and lead towards the Ten on the second round … that’s 64%
3. And the winner is to finesse the Eight on the first round … that’s 70%

But don’t you want to do something before you play on trumps?  Yes, you’ll cash those Clubs!  Now, when you lose your trump, North wins and is end-played!  A Heart return blows a trick, and a Diamond return allows Declarer to score four Diamonds (and hence pitch two Hearts).  Either way, it’s 11 tricks!

N 4♥; NS 5♦; EW 3♠; S 3♥; NS 4♣; NS 1N; Par +400

West    North   East     South

                        Pass    1♥

1♠        2♦        4♦        5♦

All Pass

-         North’s 2♦: Why not a Negative Double?  North has the unbid suits, for sure, but the hand is good enough to start bidding the suits.  It seems better to bid 2♦ saying “5 Diamonds and 10+ HCP” than to double saying “Something in the minors, 7 or 8+ HCP”.  After bidding 2♦, North’s plan is to bid 3♣ if she gets the chance.

-         East’s 4♦: No doubt East wishes that he were not Red vs White, switch the vulnerability around and he might still be bidding.  But even Red vs White some strong action is called for and so East decides to splinter with 4♦.  A bit much with only 5 HCP at this vulnerability?  Nah!  Six-card support, and a void must count for something and there is even an outside King!

-         South’s 5♦: South might have thought about making a slam-try with 4♠.  Is South good enough?  She doesn’t need much from Partner, ♦AKxxxx and the ♣A would be enough.  But Partner never has the perfect hand, does she?

In the play, 5♦ makes 11 tricks when one finesse works and the other one does not.  As for 5♠ the defense can take 4 tricks in theory (two Hearts and two Clubs) but one of those tricks might get away if North is caught napping:

            The defense cashes two rounds of Hearts

            Declarer ruffs the third round  of Hearts

            Club to Dummy’s King (while North is dozing)

            Spade to the Ace

            Ruff out the Diamonds and Hearts

Dummy now exits with a low Club and the defense if end-played … if South’s Jack wins the trick she must concede a ruff and sluff … and if North overtakes the Jack then Dummy’s Ten sets up.  Yes, North walked straight into that one, she had to hop up with the ♣A on the first round.

NS 4♣; NS 2N; EW 2♠; EW 2♥; N 1♦; Par +130

West    North   East     South

Pass

1♣       1NT     2♠        All Pass 

Leading against 2♠, the South’s best lead appears to be a Diamond, getting a ruff and holding Declarer to 8 tricks.  But suppose that South, being without the benefit of Hand Records, chooses to lead the ♣J.  Can the defense still come to 5 tricks?  Declarer wins the ♣A, pitching a Diamond, and leads a low Spade from the board.  North can hop up with the Ace, cash ♦AK, and lead a third Diamond, giving South a trump promotion and their 5 tricks.  That may not be obvious to North, but no matter, in that case South wins the ♠K, shifts to Diamonds, and the defense get their trump promotion that way.

NS 4♥; NS 3N; NS 2♦; NS 1♠; Par +420

West    North   East     South

Pass    Pass    Pass    1NT

Pass    2♦        Pass    2♥

Pass    3NT     Pass    4♥

All Pass

Dyed-in-the-wool Total Tricksters always super-accept a transfer when they have 4 trumps, while others reserve the right not to do so when they have a poor hand.  Our South obviously belonged to the discretionary school of thought, being turned off by the minimum point-count and the doubleton Queen.

Anyway, we’d expect most of the field to reach 4♥ but we’d be surprised if many of them make it.  There is no reason for Declarer to guess the trump situation which leaves her with four losers (a Spade, a trump and two Clubs).  To save herself from the ignominy of going down two, Declarer must also avoid a Diamond loser, but she’ll be spared the anxiety of taking the Diamond finesse because West is end-played at Trick 1!  If West leads a black suit that will provide an extra trick and a Diamond pitch, and if West leads a Diamond he does Declarer’s work.  It’ll be down one for just about everybody.

NS 4♠; NS 3♦; NS 1N; NS 1♥; NS 1♣; Par +420

West    North   East     South

            Pass    Pass    1♣

Pass    1♠        Pass    2♠

Pass    3♠        Pass    4♠

All Pass

If East leads a Heart against 4♠ then the defense has three obvious tricks.  But the Heart lead is far from appealing, and he’ll probably start out with a low Diamond.  Best play by Declarer is to postpone the drawing of trumps and play four rounds of Diamonds, pitching two Hearts from hand.  The defense will ruff the 4^th Diamond but now Declarer has 11 tricks by cross-ruffing (he won’t finesse the Spade), and 12 tricks under some circumstances (for example if East has three Diamonds and ♠Kx).

NS 2♠; W 2♦; W 2♣; W 1♥; E 1♦; E 1♣; Par +110

West    North   East     South

                        Pass    Pass

1♦        1♠        Dbl      Pass

1NT     2♠        All Pass

Playing in 2♠, can you make 8 tricks?   West leads the ♣A and East plays the discouraging Two.  Next, West leads the ♣J, foolishly kindly revealing where all the high Clubs are.  You ruff the second Club and appear to have 7 certain tricks.  Where is the 8^th trick?

With East having passed in first seat, and holding all the high Clubs, it’s a safe bet that the missing Kings are with West, probably also the ♦Q.  Owing to an alarming absence of Dummy entries, trumps must be played from hand.  Catching West with the singleton ♠K is one possibility, but he’s more likely to have either K6 or K4 or K2.  If one of those three cases exist then it will be possible to lead the ♠J from hand, forcing East to win his King.  East will exit a Spade, but you will now have two trump entries to the board.  These entries can be gainfully employed by leading Diamonds twice.  East might choose to split his Diamond honors on the first lead, but the second lead will do him in.

Oh, yes, pardon us for mentioning this, but when you ruffed that Club on the second round, you did take care not to ruff with the Three, didn’t you?  Of course you did, that Three in Declarer’s hand is needed to provide Dummy with the essential second entry.

EW 7N; EW 7♣; EW 6♠; W 5♥; E 4♥; EW 5♦; Par −1520

West    North   East     South

Pass

1♣       Pass    1♠        Pass

2NT     Pass    6NT    All Pass

After West’s rebid has shown 18-19 HCP, East draws deeply upon his deductive powers and concludes that slam can be made.  There’s certainly no point in bidding 6♣ when 6NT is a certainty to make, and the real question is whether E-W can find their way to a grand slam.  Our East did not bother to explore, but a more optimistic fellow might have checked for Aces with Gerber (it’s conceivable that an Ace is missing), and when he got the right response he might gamble 7♣ or 7NT.

As it happens, West has just the right hand for 7NT, with the ♠J and ♣Q being vital cards.  And that ♣T is also not without merit, it improves the contract’s chances in the case of a 4-1 Club break.  Anyway, well (or optimistically) bid if you got to a grand slam.

EW 6N; EW 6♠; EW 5♦; E 5♣; EW 3♥; W 4♣; Par −990

West    North   East     South

2NT     Pass    3♥        Pass

3♠        Pass    4NT     Pass

6♠        All Pass

-         3♥ is a transfer.

-         4NT is invitational to slam (with 5 Spades, of course), it was not Ace-asking (see System Note below).

-         West has shown 20-21 and has a minimum in HCP and that ugly doubleton Queen.  But, on the bright side, West has great controls, 3-card support, a ruffing value and a promising 5-card suit.  So, 6♠ seemed obvious enough.

We suppose that North will lead the ♣J or the ♦Q.  If it’s the Club Jack then Declarer’s line of play is: win the opening lead with the ♣Q, draw trumps, and ruff out the Diamonds.  That’s 13 tricks if Diamonds are 3-3, but only 12 on the actual layout.  Note the importance of winning the opening lead on the board with the ♣Q, Declarer ♣AK are both needed to set up the Diamonds.

If North finds the most unfortunate lead of the ♦Q then it’s 13 tricks.  Declarer wins the Ace, draws trumps, cashes ♦K, and now has a ruffing finesse against North’s Jack.

System Note

Here are a couple of auctions where Responder’s 4NT is invitational:

            1NT     2♥                                2NT     3♥

            2♠        4NT                             3♠        4NT

Both sequences show 5 Spades and invite slam.  That’s all very well, but suppose that Responder has longer Spades and really does want to use Roman Key Card.  The standard solution is to use Texas and then bid 4NT, as in:

            1NT     4♥                                2NT     4♥

            4♠        4NT                             4♠        4NT

While we are on the subject, how about these two auctions?

            1NT     2♥                                2NT     3♥

            2♠        4♣                                3♠        4♣

Some pairs use the first auction as a splinter, but there’s much to be said for using 4♣ as a cheap way of invoking Roman Key Card.  You could also use 4♣ as Roman Key Card in the second auction, but that is less appealing, what is Responder supposed to do with a good Heart-Club two-suiter?

EW 5N; EW 4♠; EW 5♦; E 2♥; W 1♥; EW 1♣; Par −660

West    North   East     South

            Pass    1NT     3♥

4♠        All Pass

South’s 3♥ looks eminently reasonable, but on the actual layout it could go for a whopping 1100 on perfect defense.  But we don’t expect that to happen, surely West will insist on playing 4♠.

North leads a Heart to South’s Ace, and no doubt West will false-card with the Queen, trying to create the illusion that North started with ♥95.  But South has no reason to fall for that malarkey, all the more so when there is nothing to be gained by leading up to Dummy’s intimidating minor suits.  So, North gets her ruff, and a natural trump trick as well, holding Declarer to 10 tricks.

System Note

Let’s assume that you play Texas Transfers as well as the Jacoby variety.  Let’s next assume that you are all set to make your Texas bid when RHO jumps into the auction with some bid or the other.  Is Texas still on?  Yes, up to a point, and that point is usually considered to be 3♣.  But, if the opponents bid 3♦ or higher, then Texas is off.  On the actual deal, suppose that South feebly bids only 2♥.  Now, West can bid 4♥ as Texas.

NS 7N; NS 7♣; NS 6♥; NS 4♠; NS 4♦; Par +1520

West    North   East     South

                        Pass    1NT

Pass    2♣       Pass     2♦

Pass    3NT     All Pass

North’s square 15-count is not worth a slam try, and a more relevant issue is whether or not she should try Stayman on the way to game.  It’s true that North does not have a ruffing value in her hand, but that’s no reason to assume that Opener won’t have one in her hand, all the more so as North’s high cards are Aces and Kings, and she is not loaded up with Queens and Jacks.

Against 3NT, West will no doubt lead the ♠Q (that Diamond suit is unlikely to set up), and it turns out to be a most friendly hand for Declarer.  When the Club and Heart finesses work it’s 12 tricks, and 13 if Declarer gets the Diamonds right.

EW 6♠; EW 4♣; EW 2N; EW 1♥; EW 1♦; Par −980

West    North   East     South

1♥

Pass    Pass    1♠        Pass

2♥        Pass    4♠        All Pass

Here’s another hand where 12 tricks can be made but where you should be quite shamefaced if you bid the slam, as it has a 4% probability of making (requires 2-2 Spades and South has to have the doubleton or singleton ♣K).  +480 for E-W at every table?

NS 3N; NS 5♦; NS 2♣; NS 1♥; Par +400

West    North   East     South

Pass    1♣       Pass    1♦

Pass    2♣       Pass    3NT

All Pass

3NT is the obvious spot and Declarer has 8 top tricks.  The 9^th will no doubt come from whichever major suit West attacks with his opening lead.  +400 for all the N-S pairs who bid this game (which should be most of them).

EW 4♥; NS 2♠; EW 2♦; NS 2♣; Par −300: NS 4♠x-2

West    North   East     South

            Pass    1♥        Pass

3♥        All Pass

East has a typical Rule-of-20-inspired 5-4 11-count opening bid, and West invited with 3♥.  East has no reason to accept.

There are three certain losers, and, if Diamonds are 4-2, then the defense has two chances to negotiate a ruff for their 4^th trick … the first chance is on opening lead, the second would be when they got in with the ♥A.  But as it happens, Diamonds are 3-3 and there is no defensive ruff.  But Declarer still has some work to do if she is to make 10 tricks, specifically she must guess the whereabouts of the ♦T.  As she needs two Diamond tricks, not just one, logic says that she should finesse against North, making two Diamond tricks possible, even if North has 4 of them.  Bingo!  That’s 10 tricks, how many did you make?

N 1N; W 1N; W 2♦; EW 1♠; NS 1♥; E 1♦; EW 1♣; Par −90

West    North   East     South

                        Pass    Pass

1♦        Pass    1♥        Pass

1NT     Pass    2NT     All Pass

East doesn’t have much of a 2NT invitation, but it just about qualifies, we suppose.  Against 2NT it seems normal enough for North to start with a Spade, in which case a low one would be the lead of choice.  Alas for the defense, this turns out to be ruinous (as would the ♠Q lead).  Declarer cheaply wins the ♠T.  Now Declarer plays on Diamonds, and will eventually score three Spades, a Heart, two Diamonds and two Clubs.  +120!

EW 4♦; W 1N; EW 1♠; NS 1♥; Par −130

West    North   East     South

Pass

Pass    Pass    1♠        Pass

1NT     Pass    3♠        All Pass

Sometimes sensible auctions arrive in ugly contracts and this one is truly ugly.  We’ll spare you the gory details, except to say that down two is as good as Declarer can reasonably expect.

EW 2N; EW 2♠; E 2♣; EW 1♥; EW 1♦; W 1♣; Par −120

West    North   East     South

1♣       Pass    2NT     Pass

3NT     All Pass

3NT is a pretty hopeless contract, which is not surprising as East and West both have pretty hopeless hands:

-         East’s 2NT showed 11-12 HCP which is what he has, but that square shape diminishes the hand somewhat, and we wonder if East might not have been better off bidding a 6-10 1NT.  Or, if that doesn’t appeal, perhaps fudging a 1♦ response. 

-         Over to West.  He has 14 HCP which is normally enough to raise Partner’s game invitation to 3NT.  But West also is cursed with square distribution and a shocking shortage of Aces and Tens, so perhaps he should pass 2NT.

Anyway, the bottom line here is that most pairs will reach 3NT and on anything but the most generous of defenses they will be down one.

EW 2♠; NS 1♥; S 1♦; EW 1♣; Par −110

EW 7N; EW 7♦; EW 6♥; EW 3♣; EW 1♠; Par −2220

West    North   East     South

                        1♦        Pass

1♥        Pass    3♦        Pass

4♣        Pass    4♦        Pass

4♥        Pass    6♦        All Pass

-         West’s 4♣ is a cue-bid agreeing Diamonds (surely not natural in this sequence).

-         E-W use Minorwood, so 4♦ was Roman Key Card and 4♥ showed one Key Card (1430 responses).

6♦ is a terrific slam provided that South does not lead a Spade.  But South surely will lead a Spade and now the contract is in serious jeopardy.  Here are some possible lines of play (after winning the ♠A at Trick 1):

-         Cash the ♦A and finesse the ♣J, planning to get the Spade loser away on the third round of trumps.  This works whenever the ♦K is singleton, or when the ♣Q is onside and Clubs are 4-3 (or when someone started with 2 Clubs and either ♦Kx or a singleton Diamond).  We calculate this line at 45%

-         Finesse the ♦J, and cash the Ace.  If the Diamonds come in there’s no problem, but if North started with three to the King there is still work to be done and Declarer will play on Clubs as before.  This line comes in at about 41%.

-         Run the ♦Q which North covers if he has the King, and then finesse against North’s Ten.  This one appears to be worst of all, with a success rate of 32%.  But, perversely, it is the only line of play which manages to bring in the shaky slam.

NS 4N; NS 3♠; EW 3♥; NS 4♣; NS 2♦; Par +500: EW 5♥x-2

West    North   East     South

1♠

2♠        3♥        4♥       4♠

All Pass

-         South could not resist opening that 10-count with 1♠, nor should she.

-         2♠ is Michaels (Hearts and a minor in this case).

-         North’s cue-bid of 3♥ showed a good hand (at least game-invitational).

-         After South has bid 4♠, should North consider slam?  Nah, she has ♥AK opposite South’s expected shortness, and that is extreme wastage.

Against 4♠, if West leads a Heart, then Dummy takes her two Heart tricks (pitching Diamonds).  Then a Spade to the King and back to Dummy.  With what?  A Diamond looks slightly safer, so the ♦A wins and another Spade is led.  At this point East can give West a Club ruff, but it doesn’t help the defense as West is ruffing Declarer’s Club loser.  So, 10 tricks either way.

We have to say the opening lead of a Heart was a dubious effort by West.  With perfect hindsight we are able to recommend the more dynamic lead of the ♦K.  Dummy wins the Ace, cashes the ♥AK (pitching Diamonds), and leads a Spade.  Will East be up to the challenge?  He must rise with the ♠A, and give West a Club ruff.  West plays the ♦Q which East ruffs, and then another Club ruff beats the contract.  Did you find that defense?

EW 4♣; EW 2♠; NS 1N; NS 1♥; Par −130

West    North   East     South

Pass    1♥        1♠        2♥

Pass    Pass     2♠        Pass

Pass    Pass?

If North sells out to 2♠ then the defense can score 5 tricks in this astonishing fashion:

            ♣A opening lead

            Club ruff

            Low Heart to South’s Queen

            Another Club ruff

With the ♠A still to come this dazzling defense holds Declarer to 8 tricks.  But in real life it will be 9 tricks.  South leads a Heart, and the Club shift gets the defense one ruff, but South has no entry to provide the second ruff.

With such a good trump suit and with a singleton Club, and also being non-vulnerable, many Norths will compete to 3♥, which may receive a highly speculative Double from West at some tables.  East leads the ♠K and when Dummy goes down Declarer can count five trump tricks and two Aces.  The only possibility for more is in Diamonds, either the ♦K, or the 13^th Diamond, or even a Diamond ruff.  Here’s how the play develops:

            ♠K won by Declarer’s Ace

            Diamond to the King and West’s Ace

            Trump return (good shift!) won on the board

            Diamond from the board, low from West (more good play!), won by East

            ♠Q is cashed

            East’s ♠J is ruffed by West (West’s third fine play!)

            Heart won by Declarer

            Another Diamond is won by West

            Another Heart, finally ending Declarer’s hopes for a Diamond ruff!

After this fine defense Declarer is held to just 7 tricks.  It’s worth reviewing West’s fine performance here:

(a)    He spotted the danger of that 4^th round Diamond ruff and shifted to a trump.

(b)   When Declarer played the second round of Diamonds, West played low.  He had seen East’s Nine on the second round.  If that was to show a holding of 9x then Declarer’s play made little sense, she would be needlessly risking a Diamond ruff.  So, it seemed more likely that East had started with J9.

(c)   Ruffing Partner’s Spade winner was certainly flashy, but actually it was the easiest of the three plays.

Anyway, if you were North, and if you bid 3♥, and if you got speculatively doubled, and if you then got victimized by three fine plays by West, then -300 will be your result.

NS 5♦; NS 3♥; NS 3♣; EW 1N; EW 1♠; Par +400

West    North   East     South

            Pass    1♠        2♥

2♠        Dbl      3♠        Pass

Pass    Dbl      All Pass

At her first turn, South might have doubled or tried Michaels, neither of them completely unreasonable.  East, with a known 9-card fit, felt free to bid up the 3-level and that was too high, doubled for -500.

NS 4N; NS 4♦; NS 2♠; W 2♣; EW 1♥; E 1♣; Par +630

West    North   East     South

                        2♠        2NT

Pass    3NT     All Pass

Even though 2♠ doubled goes for 800 we expect the field to play in 3NT from the South side.

-         If West politely leads Partner’s Spades, then Declarer has the timing for 11 tricks, scoring 2 Spades, 2 Hearts, 6 Diamonds and a Club.

-         If West leads a Heart, the defense does a trick better.  But it has to be the ♥Q lead, after which the Hearts can be set up before Declarer can establish her extra tricks in both Spades and Clubs.

EW 2♠; EW 1N; NS 2♦; NS 1♥; NS 1♣; Par −100: NS 3♦x-1

West    North   East     South  

Pass

1♠        Pass    2♠        All Pass

West’s hand does not pass the Rule of 20, but who could possibly resist opening with Ace, King, Ace, and that lovely Spade suit?  East’s miserable 10-count is worth no more than 2♠ and that is probably where West will play it.

There may seem to be a danger that Declarer will lose 6 tricks in 2♠.  The defense can score a trump, two Hearts, a Diamond, and possibly two Clubs.  Of course, it won’t help the defense to get a Heart ruff, that will be at the expense of a natural trump trick.  However, North will no doubt come to Declarer’s rescue by leading one of the minor suits:

-         If North leads a Club, the things are resolved in Declarer’s favor at Trick 1.  Dummy plays low, forcing South’s King and it’s 8 easy tricks.

-         If North leads a Diamond and South covers with the King, then Declarer makes no fewer than 9 tricks. 

-         If North leads Diamond and South does not cover, then things are more interesting.  Can you make 9 tricks now?  Yes, but it takes some really good guessing!

E 5♥; W 4♥; E 5♦; W 4♦; E 2N; E 1♠; Par −450

West    North   East     South

Pass    Pass    1NT     2♣

2♦        Pass    2NT     Pass

3♦        Pass    3♥        Pass

4♥        All Pass

-         After South’s 2♣, many pairs play that Double is Stayman and that the rest of the system is on.  So, West’s 2♦ was a transfer.

-         East has a good hand and 4-card Heart support, so makes a “super-accept”.  There are various methods for this, in the auction shown 2NT was a good super-accept.

-         3♦ was a “re-transfer”, getting the strong hand to declare 4♥.

If South leads a Spade or a Club, Declarer has an easy route to 11 tricks, so let’s see what happens if South finds a Diamond opening lead.  To Declarer that lead will look ominously like a singleton and he’ll no doubt play on Hearts right away, hoping that the ♥A is with South.  But no, it’s with North and the Club shift holds Declarer to 10 tricks.  Of course, 11 tricks are possible, but we don’t recommend this line of play: Win the Diamond, cash ♠A, then Q♠ covered by the Ace and ruffed, back to hand with a Diamond, pitch a Club on a Spade and play on trumps.  Highly risky and more likely to produce 9 tricks than 11.

NS 5♥; NS 4♣; EW 3♦; S 1N; EW 1♠; Par +650

West    North   East     South

            1♥        Pass    1♠

Pass    2♣       Pass    2♥

Pass    3♥        Pass    4♥

All Pass

What would be your choice of opening bid with the North hand?  With the Clubs being stronger and longer than the Hearts it may seem a trifle odd to open 1♥.  But the danger with opening 1♣ is that Partner (or one of the opponents) will bid 1♠.  Now, is the hand really good enough to reverse with 2♥?  It’s way short in terms of HCP, but it does have good playing strength and only 5 losers.  Others may have stronger opinions on this, but speaking for ourselves, we could go either way.

4♥ is a rather scary contract and one could easily imagine that, on a bad day, it might be down a couple of tricks.  Let’s suppose that the defense leads the unbid Diamond suit and that Declarer ruffs the second round.  Already, Declarer is flirting with disaster if trumps are 4-1 offside.  Declarer goes after her side-suit next, cashing ♣A, ♣K and ruffing a Club with the King.  Now, the J♥ is run around, then another finesse, trumps are drawn and it’s 11 tricks.

EW 7N; EW 7♠; EW 7♦; EW 4♥; EW 1♣; Par −1520

EW 4♥; NS 3♠; EW 3♣; NS 1N; Par −200: NS 4♠x-1

West    North   East     South

Pass

Pass    Pass    1♥        2♦?

3♦        Pass    3♥        All Pass

E-W stop short of game, but how many tricks will East make?  South will probably lead a Spade (nothing else appeals), and North takes her Ace.  Let’s say that North continues Spades, ruffed on the board.  Now a Heart to the King and the Ace.  Another Spade is ruffed and now it’s decision time!  Will Declarer correctly guess the Heart situation and make 10 tricks?  Before making his decision, East will weigh up the evidence:

-         North showed up with ♠AQ and yet did not open 2♠.  It looks safe to assume that the North has 5 Spades and South has 4.

-         When North won the opening Spade lead, she did not fire back a Diamond in search of a ruff.  Surely, North has two Diamonds and South has 5.

-         Having passed originally, South overcalled a vulnerable 2♦.  Would she bid that with ♠ Jxxx, ♥ AJ, ♦ AJxxx, ♣ xx?  Probably not.

Yes, South’s length in Spades and Diamonds makes it likely that she has fewer Hearts than North.  And her 2♦ bid suggests some distribution.

Postscript

North’s awful dubious 2♦ overcall lost in two ways.  Firstly, it gave Declarer a road map to 10 tricks.  Secondly, it lost the N-S Spade fit.  Yes, South does better to make a passed hand Double.  That bid does find the Spade fit, where N-S can make 9 tricks.  True, they may not compete up to 3♠ but, however high they go, at least they will be competing in the right suit!

EW 4♦; EW 2N; NS 3♣; NS 1♠; NS 1♥; Par −130

West    North   East     South

2♦        Pass    2♠        Pass

3♦        All Pass

East’s 2♠ was forcing for one round (some play it as constructive but not forcing), and West beats a hasty retreat to 3♦.  There’s something to be said for an opening lead of the ♥A after this auction.  Declarer has 8 obvious tricks, where are the extras?  A couple of Club ruffs on the board would get Declarer up to 10, so North promptly shifts to a trump.  Declarer wins that in his hand, and reverts to Plan B by ducking a Spade.  Back comes another trump, and, with trumps 2-2, Declarer has 10 tricks once again.  The 9^th trick is a Club ruff in Dummy, and the 13^th Spade is the 10^th.  That line of play also brings in 10 tricks if trumps are 3-1 and Spades are 3-3.