4. Game All. Dealer South. We will take our next two deals from the table? Again the start was Pass – Pass – 1™.

final of the 2011 US Open Trials, held to Fred Gitelman then overcalled 1´, which

´ 9 ´ A8653 determine the USA2 team for the Bermuda ended the auction. +140 did not take much

™ 10 7 6 N ™ AJ5 Bowl. of a bite out of Grue and Lall’s +1370 and 15

W E

t AQ53 S

t Void North opened 1™ and Justin Lall (for the IMPs changed hands.

® 10 9 8 7 2 ® AKQJ6

eventual winners) bid a Michaels 2™, show- Players are willing to make a simple over-

ing spades and a minor. Joe Grue’s 2NT call nowadays on many hands that would

West North East South asked partner to name which minor he have triggered a take-out double in years

Grue Greco Lall Hampson held. Normally East would bid 3® to show gone by. Occasionally this tactic misfires in a

Pass

Pass 1™ 2™ Pass a club suit. Here Lall had some values to big way.

2NT Pass 6® spare; the 29-year-old showed partner

which minor he held with the 6® card! n Awards: 6® (10), 5®/3NT (6), part-

Twelve tricks were easily made. scores (3).

Can you guess the result at the other

5. Game All. Dealer West. We now see the other young pair in the win- had to lose two trump tricks.

ning US Trials team, John Hurd and Joel Finessing the ™10 would be a safety play,

´ AKJ6 ´ Q Wooldridge. East’s 2t response is natural looking at the trump suit on its own. It

™ K98642 N ™ A 10 3 and game-forcing in the two-over-one might cause a problem if South won and

W E

t K S t A J 10 5 3 system, so Wooldridge can bid just 3™ to returned a diamond, the opening lead being

® 92 ® AKQ3

agree hearts. a singleton (which it was). A better idea

West is then able to cue-bid in spades would be to cross to the ´Q and lead the ™3,

West East below the game-level. East’s 4´ is a form of intending to finesse the ™9 into the safe

Hurd Wooldridge RKCB, known as ‘Kickback’, and West shows hand. This would have landed the slam.

1™ 2t

2™ 3™

two key cards without the queen of trumps. At the other table Hampson and Greco

3´ 4´ It is then easy for East to sign off in 6™. overstretched to 7™ and it was a flat board.

5t 6™ How would you play this contract when

North leads the eight of diamonds? Hurd n Awards: 6NT (10), 6™ (9), 7NT/7™ (6),

won with the king and led a trump to the games (4).

ace. Ouch! South showed out and declarer

6. N/S Game. Dealer East. When D’Ovidio rebid 4®, Véronique Tips to remember

Bessis showed slam interest with a cue-bid

´ J 10 8 3 2

N

´ 9 of 4t. East’s 4™ indicated a heart control • Blackwood is useless as have two

discover whether you

a tool to

™ K4

W E

™ AQ75 and West’s 5® was a sign-off, denying a

t AK86 S t 10 4 spade control. What should East do now? top losers in a side suit. To bid

® J3 ® AKQ986

D’Ovidio passed and the excellent slam slams accurately, you must also

was missed. At the other table, after the use control-showing cue-bids.

West East same eight-bid start, Carla Arnolds quite

Bessis D’Ovidio

1®

rightly raised to 6®. She was the one look- • It may at the one-levelfriends to

overcall

impress your

on some

1´ 2™ ing at a spade control and she had a won-

derful trump suit. giant hand. Occasionally this will

3t 4®

4t 4™ lead to a big contract being

5® missed. Set an upper-range of

n Awards: 6® (10), games (5), 6NT (1).

around 17 points for a one-level

overcall.

We end with a deal from the Cronier v ´ ™t®

Netherlands semi-final in the European • ‘Two-underinvestigateare an excel-

lent way to

transfers’

slams when

Open Women’s Teams event. Our experts score three bull’s eyes, one

Catherine D’Ovidio shows good values by inner, one outer and one complete miss. you hold a long suit opposite part-

reversing to 2™ on the second round. 2NT That’s a total of 46/60. If you beat them, you ner’s 2NT opening (or opposite

is usually treated as forcing over a reverse, did well. Let’s look for some useful bidding 2® – 2t – 2NT). r

but both West players preferred to bid a tips.

fourth-suit forcing 3t.

www.ebu.co.uk October 2011 English Bridge 37