Daily Bridge Club Black two-suiters

Sunday, October 4, 2020

Experts cherish their views on bidding. One issue on which they may disagree is which suit to open with five spades and five clubs.

The one-club advocates think it often leads to an economical auction: If responder bids a red suit, opener has a space-saving bid of one spade available. One-spade bidders believe in getting the major suit mentioned quickly and making it harder for the opponents to come in.

Personally, I almost always open one spade. Today’s deal shows a possible additional edge for opening in the major.

In a team match, one North-South got to four spades with the prosaic auction shown. West led a heart, and South took the ace and led the ace and a low club. West discarded, and East won and led a trump. Declarer rose with the ace, cashed his queen of hearts and started a crossruff. No defense could stop him from winning 10 tricks.

In the replay, the North-South auction was one club-one diamond, one spade-1NT, two spades-three spades, four spades. Then West knew dummy would table a weak hand with spade support and perhaps not many clubs. Since West suspected that East had club length and strength, West led a trump.

South won and led a low club, and East captured dummy’s queen and returned a trump. Declarer took the ace and led the ace of clubs, but West ruffed. Eventually, East got two more club tricks. Down one.

Defense is easier when you know a lot about declarer’s hand. The auction to game at the first table concealed South’s distribution and made a winning defense harder to find.

South dealer

N-S vulnerable