PORT ALFRED BRIDGE CLUB

Port Alfred Pairs Monday, 19 October 2023 Board 03 Dealer N,

E - W vulnerable. BBO 10220

Vulnerability in Duplicate Bridge is a very important factor. You are East and North has opened the bidding with 1D; do you employ a ‘two suited overcall’ to tell partner that you have the two majors? With only 9 high card points and slightly marginal suits using CRO or Ghestem may not be wise at this adverse vulnerability. A more conservative approach would be to overcall with 1S, planning to bid hearts later if it can make sense to do so. As it happens the bidding is at sufficiently low level to enable East to show the heart suit reasonably safely, especially as the length of the opponents’ minor suits may mean that West has some limited heart support. The 2H bid is likely to inhibit South from bidding 2NT leaving a choice of 2S (showing a spade stop, together with some points) or 3C showing at least a six card suit and about 10 points; the latter being the more accurate bid. From the bidding results shown below some Wests must have bid 3H; which is a very risky bid vulnerable. The club king is probably worth a trick but the diamond King is likely to be worthless; yes you have four hearts but to make 9 tricks your partner will have to make 8 of them from his/her hand, which is unlikely on the bidding. North has little to say over a 3C bid, which probably indicates a better suit than the diamonds.

Inspection of the results reveals the differing degrees of optimism displayed by the seven pairs who played these hands. 3HE -1; 3HE =; 4CS =; 3NTN -3; 4HE- 1; 5CS*-1’ 5DN 1st J Faulkner & A Ridderhof….66.7% 2nd Carole & David Janks ........ 63.1% 1st J Tagg & E Jurgensen……56.9%

2nd H Clohessy & M Wesselo..59.3%