FRANK STEWART BRIDGE

JUNIOR PANACHE

The ACBL has many fine junior players. Juniors like to have fun and have a reputation for producing unlikely results. In today’s deal (reported by Barry Rigal) from the Life Master Pairs at the Summer NABC, East-West were Harrison Luba of Lynnfield, Mass. and Finn Kolesnik of Ventura, Calif. South was a top expert.

I can charitably call the bidding uninhibited. To open East’s hand wouldn’t occur to me, and if you made me open, I would not act again. I also might not act as West did, but I do know that anyone who overcalls vulnerable on the junky South hand may deserve whatever befalls him.

Down Four

Against one heart doubled, Kolesnik found a devastating lead: a low trump. South won with the jack and led a diamond, and East won and led a spade. When South erred by taking the ace, the defense could arrange for West to force out South’s ace of trumps and get back in to draw trumps. Then EastWest could cash their winners for plus 1,100. Kolesnik-Luba made it to the LMP final, an admirable achievement.

Daily Question

You hold: ♠ A 9 ♥ AJ632 ♦ J 4 ♣ Q 87 6. Your partner opens one diamond, you respond one heart, he bids two clubs and you raise to three clubs. Partner then bids three spades. What do you say?

Answer: Partner doesn’t have four spades; he didn’t bid one spade at his second turn. He probably has 3-1-5-4 shape and is probing for the best contract. You have useful cards and could jump to five clubs, but in case he is interested in slam, cue-bid four spades.

East dealer

N-S vulnerable