Youthful bidding
The ACBL’s efforts to attract players from a younger generation are paying off. The number of young players discovering the challenge of bridge, and the tournament competitions especially for youth, have soared.
Junior players are known for ebullient bidding. In a secondary team event at the Fall NABC, Nathan Gong of Sammamish, Wash. was South. North was Stefan Skorchev, one of many foreign players at the “Nationals.” When Gong opened 1NT, West’s two clubs showed length in both majors. Skorchev had a shot at the nine-trick notrump game.
Chance
When East competed to four hearts, Gong figured he would have a chance at five clubs and couldn’t beat four hearts badly if at all. Then Skorchev placed his partner with aces to bid an 11-trick contract; he boldly raised to six clubs.
East doubled, presumably asking West to lead a non-heart, but when West led a heart anyway, Hong won and tabled the ace of clubs. The missing honors fell, and Gong took the rest for the rare score of plus 1740. Gong-Skorchev and their teammates won the event.
Daily question
You hold: ♠ 10 8 5 4 2 ♥ K Q J 10 4 ♦ 5 3 ♣ Q. Neither side vulnerable. Your partner deals and opens one heart. The next player bids one spade. What do you say?
ANSWER: Your left-hand opponent doesn’t have many hearts and probably not many spades. If he has a fistful of clubs and diamonds, the opponents may have a good sacrifice, or even a make, at a high-level minor-suit contract. Bid four hearts. If your partner plays there, he may make it. If he goes down, chances are the opponents could have made something.
South dealer
N-S vulnerable