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Hand played on |
5th April 2007 |
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Board number 13 |
Blue Section |
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Dealer |
North |
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Vulnerability |
Both |
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Submitted by |
Alaric Cundy |
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North ♠ JT74 ♥ Q98 ♦ A87 ♣ Q62 |
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West ♠ 9865 ♥ A64 ♦ KQT4 ♣ J4 |
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East ♠ KQ2 ♥ KT52 ♦ 952 ♣ 973 |
North |
Bidding:
East |
South |
West |
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South ♠ A2 ♥ J73 ♦ J63 ♣ AKT85 |
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No 1♠ End |
No No |
1♣ 2♣ |
No No |
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Most players would choose to open a balanced hand with 12 14 High Card Points with a bid of 1NT, even if it contained a good 5-card minor suit as here. Events at the table show the pitfalls of bidding this hand as a minimum strength opening with a club suit. After a 1♣ opening bid, the rest of the auction is routine: North must show the spade suit and South has no alternative re-bid. North has nothing to add, so a final contract of 2♣ is inevitable.
The Defenders are likely to take 5 tricks whatever the contract two each in hearts and diamonds, plus a spade so the score of +90 that 2♣ will normally earn scores poorly when compared with the +120s made by most of those who chose to open the South hand with 1NT. Another Declarer who chose to play the hand in 2♣ attempted to redeem the situation by scoring an overtrick but even his / her score of +110 fell short of optimum.
See 'Board 13' from the Red Section on 5th April for a linked bidding issue.
The moral of the story if you are playing the weak no trump style and you could open 1NT, then DO OPEN 1NT!