BRIDGE

One thing you can be sure of in the rough and tumble world of high-level competition: savvy opponents will do anything and everything they can to upset the bidding apple cart when they have favourable vulnerability to protect them!

In this auction from the final of the Canadian Senior Team Championship, Kamel Fergani held the East cards and started his campaign of feigning strength by opening one heart with less in the way of high cards than might be expected for that action.

That East collection doesn't fit into any easy classification with four spades on the side deterring the holder from making a preemptive bid but the playing strength and minor-suit controls suggesting some initial action and the one-bid would be the choice of most modern experts, even those playing in a Senior event!

After the double-pass-one spade came back to him, Fergani realized his side was almost certainly outgunned and that chewing up some bidding space might well be to his advantage.

Three hearts certainly did that and really set a nasty problem for Pierre Daigneault for HOBART.

Lots of high cards for sure but with only one heart stopper, could he possibly underwrite there notrump?

Judging the answer to be “no”, South reasonably introduced clubs, hoping his partner might provide enough fit and strength opposite to raise to game if at all possible.

Not this time and the vile distribution meant four clubs had to go down two when all along three notrump could be made thanks in large part to North providing, of all things, a second heart stopper!