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Board 13: All the best laid plans...

Hand played on	23rd November 2006
Board number	13, Red Section
Dealer	North
Vulnerability	Both
Submitted by	Alaric Cundy

The Hands

	North ♠Q9 ♥T2 ♦AJ87 ♣AJ862
West ♠T874 ♥965 ♦KQT3 ♣Q4		East ♠AK3 ♥AQJ73 ♦92 ♣K93	The Bidding
	South ♠J652 ♥K84 ♦654 ♣T75		North 1NT xx No	East x No x	South No 2♣ End	West No No
North opted for a rather off-beat 1NT opening on this hand. Not everyone would do that, but especially at match-pointed pairs, there is merit in steering the partnership away from minor suits and into No Trumps. Most people would open 1♣ - but what happens next if partner responds in a major? You have to bid 2♣, which may get passed out, and is that where you want to be? In the event, East had a fairly obvious double, and this was passed round to North, who wheeled out the partnership's rescue gadget. Redouble shows a 5-card suit, and if East passes, South can either pass to play and put West under pressure, or make the relay bid of 2♣, which North takes as 'pass or correct'. East found a finely judged penalty double and West passed it out. So South found himself as Declarer in 2♣ doubled... The play was fairly uneventful and the defenders took their six obvious tricks - and at this point the vulnerability became crucial. North-South conceded the 'dreaded -200' - which is almost always a bad score at match-pointed pairs. At other tables, North opened 1♣, and then East showed a good hand with hearts, and East / West played the hand in hearts. It is difficult for the Defence to prevent Declarer securing a club ruff in Dummy, so typically there will be 4 losers in a heart contract by East / West. Two adventurous East/West pairs failed in 4♥. Sure enough, -200 was not a good result for NS - about as 'bottom' as they come in fact! Ah, well, next time it'll pay off!