BRIDgE

After this highly competitive auction that spawned a major disaster for East-West, there’s at least one of the participants that deserves our sympathy: You Be The Judge!

North’s opening and East’s overcall were routine with opener’s slightly offshape reopening double being somewhat less so: extra values , yes, but not the usual distribution you might expect from such a double.

Seeking some of East’s blood, South passed the double for penalty to motivate West to seek a safer ha- ven with his S.O.S. Redouble: “please pick a minor, partner”.

East picked clubs but after a hypothetical heart lead against two clubs (doubled, of course) it would have been a case of exit frying pan, enter fire (down three) but North decided to get off the doubling train to emphasize his high quality heart suit.

South then tried three notrump as a final contract, a good battlefield decision as the alternative of four hearts would have gone down to easy defeat with the loss of a spade ruff and three other top tricks.

That left the fate of three notrump totally dependent on West’s choice for an opening lead. Picking his partner’s longest suit (to enable East to switch to a diamond) or his own would have allowed the defenders to scoop up the first six tricks and leave North and South to figure out which of them should have doubled two clubs but the actual club lead left South in possession of nine tricks and his game bonus.

My sympathy vote: to East as all he did was make a normal overcall and get caught up in a whirlwind thereafter!