BRIDGE

This deal was more about the post mortem than the actual bidding and/or play.

Without a clear way forward, North chose to pass at her second turn, a reasonable assessment looking at just her cards and taking into account the minimumsounding nature of her partner’s rebid.

East refused to go quietly but North re-competed and reaching the three-level proved no problem after the lead of the heart Jack to the ace and a second round back to the King.

Ace and a club ruff before a diamond towards dummy left the defenders unable to muster a third trick whatever they did even though the play had multiple possible variations after West won the diamond King and returned the suit.

Recognizing the entire layout meant three notrump would be mildly easy to make, the earnest student in the North seat innocently asked: “how are we supposed to bid that “cold” three notrump game?”.

“Cold because of the ultrafavourable lie of the Eastwest cards but just suppose you switched a few cards around between East and West: would you still want to be in three notrump? Not all lucky games are meant to be bid and this seems to be one of those”.

For what it’s worth, I think the North hand has just enough promise to warrant a mildly invitational raise to three diamonds at her second turn (not three clubs, a game-forcing bid in most approaches).

That might elicit a stopper-showing three hearts by South and a stab at three notrump by North and all could end well – this time!