Vil on 29WED

From Wednesday 20/07/2016
Board 5 Dealer N NS Vul

	Q2 KJ9873 3 8742
KT76 AQT62 4 AK5		AJ943 5 QJ QJT96
	85 4 AKT987652 3

Would you, if you were NORTH, open this one with a 'weak 2'? I would not, because being vulnerable against not vulnerable opponents, North should have a better hand than this one. What can happen in this deal is that South might leap all the way to 5D with some hope of either making, or down only one.

So let's say North passes and East opens 1S as every East should, given the great shape despite only 11 high card points. What should SOUTH do? One could hardly blame South for leaping to 5D but South should think about the conditions under which this hand is being played. NS are vulnerable, therefore if North is of no help in South's 5D, and South is doubled, NS will be -500, which will be worse than anything EW score in 4S if EW do bid to 4S. I suggest that on a Wednesday, South's best bid is FOUR diamonds, provided North has the gas to bid one more (if necessary) should North have just one trick in support. South should not forget that TWO people sit NS and North should also be an intelligent being!

What if North has good defence against a 4S contract IF EW bid it? And after a 1S opening from East (no weak two from North) there is also the possibility that EW actually have game in hearts, which they are unlikely to find after a 4D bid. But things can be quite different on a Wednesday, can't they?

Let's look at the actual results from the Hutt club: THREE Souths were in 5D, NOT doubled and down two. It is clear that however the bidding might have gone, West did not think about what was needed for South to MAKE 5D. That would have been an eleven card suit! South obviously did not have any tricks outside diamonds. The Wests should also have realised that, given East's 1S OPENING, there were only TWO possible destinations: game in spades or SLAM in spades. Therefore, after South has leapt to 5D, there can be only two options if West does NOT bid slam: West must either bid 5S, which must surely make, or West must DOUBLE 5D to protect what rightfully belongs to EW, which is +450 or even +480. West can no longer sensibly look for a slam and the near certainty that there is at least one diamond loser should sway West towards either doubling 5D or bidding 5S. But THREE of seven pairs allowed South to play 5D untouched.

One East was allowed to play in 4S (was South sensible or simply chicken?) and declarer made an overtrick. Three other Easts played in 5S and only one of them made six, which sensible declarer play should achieve. What invariably happened was that South opened the defence with the ace of diamonds lead and then continued with the king. Whether declarer was aware or not about the possible situation, declarer ruffed in dummy but not high enough to stop North over ruffing with the queen. If declarer thinks about why South has bid so many diamonds and why North has followed with the three of diamonds, declarer will come to the conclusion that North has a singleton diamond. With South having so many diamonds, the odds are heavily in favour of North having at least three spades if not all four. Therefore the sensible play is to ruff with dummy's KING and then lead the ten for a finesse
against North.

So, careful play by declarer will result in making six, and that in fact was a top score, without the need to bid the slam. Mind you, had any of the Wests who PASSED 5D worked things out correctly, THEY could have scored a top with +500 just by doubling 5D!