PORT ALFRED BRIDGE CLUB

Port Alfred Pairs Thursday, 18 April 2024 Board 02 Dealer,

N-S vulnerable. BBO 10330 As East surveying your hand you must decide whether to pass or to make a positive bid. The only good feature of your spade suit is that it consists of 5 cards; however if partner has a fit in spades the hand becomes quite valuable. Therefore bid 1S and await further information. Sometimes (quite often) in bridge you have to make a ‘less than ideal’ bid, so try to pick the one which helps partner the most. West has a powerful hand of 17 high card points, enough to make a jump shift; but if you jump to 3H partner will expect a six card suit, which you don’t have; you will also be using up too much bidding space; so bid 2H, which is forcing on the partnership to the level of 2NT, so cannot be passed! East is likely to bid 2NT as a 3C bid might be indicative of a five card suit and 2NT implies minimum values. West can now bid 3C (New suit at the ‘three level’ must be forcing) which suggests a 5 card club suit and an unbalanced hand. East also has an unbalanced hand and very good support for clubs so pushes on to 4C. At this stage West is considering a slam and bids 4D, showing first round control and the wish to go to at least 5C. It clearly implies a request for East to cue bid a major suit ace if he/she has one. East’s 5C denies such a holding, so closes the auction. ¹cue bid showing first round control of diamonds.

2CW+3; 3NTE +1 (2); 5CW +1 (2). 1st H Clohessy & M Wesselo……61.1% 2nd D Ellender & R Wood……….54.6% 3rd L Kolesky & G Dempers……..53.7%