Archives of all back
issues of all daily
columns are available
with Bridgetoday.com
membership (which
also includes 12
issues of Bridge
Today Magazine,
100 archive issues
of Bridge Today
Digest Online, and
one Bridge Today
University course).

Click here for
further details

Let's look at West's choices after the third-seat
1 opening.

2. The West hand, vul vs. not, facing a passed
partner, is not strong enough to force to the three
level. If partner has 2-2 in the red suits, you'll go
for a huge number. So 2 is out.

2. Possible, but the suit is weak and where are
you going with this hand opposite a passed partner,
vulnerable?

2. Interesting call, and might help partner with
an opening lead, but might help the opponents,
too. When West bid 2 in a team match,
North-South reached slam. West led the king
of diamonds. Declarer knew that the diamonds were
5-1, so he won the ace, drew two rounds of trumps
and led a club, planning to put in the jack. When
West's king came up, declarer won the ace and
led the jack to East's queen. But East had no more
diamonds to play and the 5 of diamonds was thrown
on the 10 of clubs, for 980 to N-S.

Pass. A terrible word these days, but you know what?
Even if he was facing the North cards, West couldn't
score a game, so why bid? After you lead the king of
diamonds against 6, declarer wins and returns a
diamond, planning to set up a diamond trick in
dummy for a club discard. This is surely the best
line of play if diamonds have not been bid. The
result was +50 to East-West.