Vil Gravis on 19WED
Board 7 Dealer S All Vul
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96532
T754
96
87Judging from the results, there were a lot of difficulties with this particular deal. There should not have been if EW play a sensible game of bridge. For a start, they should have got to an easy 3NT and not some number of clubs.
After South opens the bidding with 1D, West has a perfectly good jump overcall of THREE CLUBS. The best way to play jump overcalls is to play what are known as “Intermediate jump overcalls” which show a 6+ card suit and 11-15 high card points. West is one short of the 11 but does have a very long suit, so the hand fits well enough for such a jump overcall. Even if playing WEAK jump overcalls, given that EW are vulnerable, the overcaller should not have anything less than West has anyway.
East, with South's diamonds well stopped plus a total of 13 HCP should have little difficulty in trying 3NT. Normally, it might not be a great idea to punt 3NT with a small doubleton in a side suit, but chances are that a) South will lead a diamond, b) that if South does not lead a diamond South will choose a heart not a spade and c) if South does lead a spade, West will have something in the suit because West should have some outside points for an intermediate jump overcall (since East has five points in clubs!). So, too bad about the spades, 3NT must be the value bid, and that should be no different if West has merely overcalled with TWO clubs.
But only ONE pair managed to play in 3NT and they made four comfortably when South did start with the well thought out but futile lead of the queen of spades. Bad luck for the South in question, but good on the EW pair that did bid to 3NT. I know that normally an eight card suit should not be played in No Trumps, but when it is a minor and when you have game values and good chances of taking at least nine tricks in No Trumps, eleven in a minor can be much more difficult. That is how it proved to be for the Wests who did play in clubs, most of them actually in either 3C or 4C. None of them made eleven tricks despite the fact that North led a diamond.
I will be covering the declarer play in my Wednesday Play series for subscribers but for now, let me say something about opening leads. I still notice some terrible opening leads, like the THREE Norths who led the SIX of diamonds and not the NINE. You should lead the HIGHER of two in partner's suit, so that partner at least has some idea of what you have. I also noted one North leading the FIVE of spades and another the TWO, both highly unorthodox and totally misleading for a partner who just might need to know what North has. Surely South would have bid 1D so why lead a spade at all??
