Vil Gravis's blog

If you don’t believe in competing against a weak No Trump, you should read this, which might change your mind. It has not been easy for me to convince people about the virtues of bidding over opponents’ weak 1NT, but one person I know has managed to overcome her phobia very well, if Tuesday’s results at Clubs are anything to go by. I will show you the NORTH hands on three separate boards, and you can decide whether you would bid or pass.

Board 10 from X-Clubs, Tuesday 8/09/2020
Dealer E All Vul

KT96

A7654

J52

T

The DOUBLE is a tool that is very much underused, and when used, totally MISused. I intend to write much more about the basic takeout double, as well as our “Evil Double”, but for now I want to start with a typical deal where there is competition in the bidding.

Dealer N EW Vul

	J4 QT76 AQ862 K5
KT32 A83 T43 J96		AQ876 52 K5 QT87
	95 KJ94 J97 A432

The bidding at our table, in a match point session, was:

South	West	North	East
-	-	1	1
X	2	X	Pass
3	3	Pass	Pass
X

The two opening lead problems from the previous issue were set for a reason: not to show the reader that the lead of the ace from AQx makes sense and should be used whenever possible, but that it makes sense to have that option in the ‘opening lead repertoire’. Nothing can replace good thinking and logic, but a certain amount of imagination and lateral thinking is also required for you to become a really good defender. And I must also stress here that it is vital that your partner also reads this so you are on the same page.

1.You are South and the bidding has been 1NT from East, 2NT (invitational) from West, 3NT from East and it is now your lead from:

T9765

82

T92

AQ6

As promised, here is the ‘eye opener’. We now turn our attention to South as declarer. I stumbled on a very interesting, and similar situation many years ago when I had to make the opening lead from a very similar West hand. I did not want to lead from my heart suit and did not want to lead one of the black suits because the lead of a useless three card suit against 1NT is not being very proactive. What to do?

Dealer N Nil Vul

	765 742 743 AKT7
983 AQ85 AQ6 864		KJ4 T93 KT852 J2
	AQT2 KJ6 J9 Q953

So many of us say we don’t like No Trumps, especially 1NT, either from a play or defence point of view. But there is a great deal to be learnt, and gained from, an appreciation of what No Trumps is about. Here is a very ordinary deal I have discussed in a booklet on “Twos and No Trumps”.

Dealer N Nil Vul

	765 742 743 AKT7
983 AQ85 AQ6 864		KJ4 T93 KT852 J2
	AQT2 KJ6 J9 Q953