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You hold the West hand and South opens 1S. What would you do?

Board 7 from Thursday 28/02/2019
Dealer S All Vul

	J752 T52 QT J954
Q AJ84 AKJ972 T3		T83 KQ763 63 Q86
	AK964 9 854 AK72

From 20/2/19. Continuing the defensive saga from our previous issues

Board 3 from 20/02/2019
Dealer S EW Vul

	QJ642 7542 93 A4
A5 QT6 AJT74 K75		T973 9 Q62 Q9632
	K8 AKJ83 K85 JT8

This week, something different. Not just one deal reviewed but half a dozen! All with a point to make. I won’t repeat the full hand records, just the bidding situations that arose each time.

Board 1. Sitting West, after three passes, what would you do with:

T74

AK6543

K4

73

Board 4. As dealer and both vul, would you open this:

QJ6

KQ963

65

KT8

I don’t expect that there would be any bidding on this hand until it comes round to West, but that is not a given, especially if you’re playing in a more adventurous session.

Board 17 from Wednesday 13/02/2019
Dealer N Nil Vul

	985 53 J52 AKJ65
AKQ4 AK AKT T874		JT762 JT986 6 Q3
	3 Q742 Q98743 92

At the risk of being called a bore and being obsessed with slams, let me once more state that bidding slams should be EASIER than games or part scores because there is less complexity in most slams. Making slams is also often easier because you can lose only one trick if in a small slam, or no tricks at all in a grand slam and more often than not there are twelve or thirteen top tricks. Counting up to twelve or thirteen should not be a difficult matter for the more advanced players. All that considered, I am astounded that only one pair across the whole of X-Clubs bid to 7S, and only one to 7NT. The pair who bid 7NT were also top of the field in X-Clubs with 67.46%. Well done Sheryl Luo and Tim Pan!

Board 4 from Thursday 7/02/2019
Dealer W All Vul

	93 92 7632 KQJ83
AKQJ654 43 Q9 74		8 AKQJ AJT5 A962
	T72 T8765 K84 T5