After a transfer

Practiced partnerships use “transfer” responses to notrump opening bids. One advantage is that the stronger hand becomes declarer. The opening lead comes around to, not through, his strength.

A bigger advantage is that transfers allow for more descriptive auctions. For instance, if you open 1NT and your partner responds two diamonds — a transfer — you will usually accept by bidding two hearts. But if your hand looks ideal for a heart contract, you can “super-accept” by jumping to three hearts or by bidding a new suit.

Players often take a rosy view and “super-accept” when they shouldn’t. In today’s deal, North’s three hearts was a transfer to spades. South had nothing extra for his 2NT opening, his pattern was balanced and North might have had no points. But South jumped to four spades.

West led the queen of clubs, and the defense took two clubs. West then led a trump.

South won with dummy’s ten and led a diamond to his jack, and West took the king and led a second trump. Declarer won with the queen and led a second diamond to his ten. He drew trumps, ruffed his last club in dummy and won a heart finesse with the jack. But South couldn’t finesse in hearts again — dummy had no more entries — so he lost to East’s king at the end.

South could justify his overbid. At Trick Four he must finesse in hearts. He draws trumps with the A-Q, finesses in hearts again and takes the ace. South then ruffs his last club in dummy and leads a diamond to his jack, and when West wins, he is end-played. South dealer Both sides vulnerable