BRIDGE

East-West vulnerable. West deals.

NORTH

xJ

uA 10 7 3 2

v10 7 6 5 2

wQ 7

WESTEAST

xA K 2x9 6 3

uJ 6uK Q 9 8 5 4

vA 4 3vK 9 8

w10 8 6 4 3w5

SOUTH

xQ 10 8 7 5 4

uVoid

vQ J

wA K J 9 2

The bidding:

WESTNORTHEASTSOUTH

1w1uPass1x

Pass2vPass3w

Pass3vPass3x

Pass4xDblPass

PassPass

Opening lead: Three of w

Bridge has made great strides in the past decade, but are they all forward-going? Sitting North-South on this deal from the recent 2009 World Championships was one of the world’s leading pairs.

West’s one-club opening bid was normal, but North’s one-heart overcall would have horrified old-timers. However, if you are going to make that sort of overcall, then a simple bid in a new suit must be forcing, as was the case here.

Holding a two-suiter, North naturally bid the other suit, a circumstance which did nothing to raise South’s hopes.

One might have thought that South would have been satisfied with a two-spade rebid, but South trotted out a club bid despite West’s opening bid in the suit (after all, West might have no more than three clubs).

North rebid diamonds, which did nothing to improve South’s spirits, so South rebid the six-card major. North obviously thought the sequence was game-forcing and raised to four spades.

East had heard enough and upped the ante. The contract was down two, costing 300 points.

At the other table, the contract was one spade, which made. And all this exercise proves is that the old-timers were right — a combined 20 points and a misfit are not enough for game!

2009 Tribune Media Services