„d - Areeia

MADEIRA

BRIDGE

Surprise tactics

Andrew Robson

South West North East 14 pass 24 pass 24 pass pass 34 pass 44 all pass 49 7

6 5

48 4 3 2

Q J

II A K 10 9 2

• J 9 4

W E

• 10 5

+09 6 4

J 5 Strictly speaking South should open INT (12-14 balanced). Understandably, he could not resist opening 14. Yet so taken was he by the solidity of his 4s, that he bid the suit twice more, giving his partner the impression that a singleton was adequate support to raise 34 to 44 — at least it was the ten. North-South had reached game in the suit in which they held fewest cards: West led 1PQ and continued with 1,J, over- taken by East's K. East cashed VA and led a fourth round of Vs. He was no doubt hoping that his partner's trump holding was the doubleton jack or similar, in which case partner's 4J or his 48 would be pro- moted into a trick. Not so. South discarded a • and trumped with dummy's precious 410. He crossed to hand with 4A and began drawing trumps. When all eight of the opponents' trumps fell in four rounds, he could claim his improbable contract. North's amazement at the number of miss- ing trumps turned into admiration for part- ner's eccentric bidding when he realised that 44 was the only making game — 3NT and 54 would both be defeated on the obvious IP lead. IN ORDER to bid and repeat a suit, you should strain to have six cards. With a five card suit, you almost always have a better alternative rebid: either you have a second four card suit to introduce, or you have a 5-3-3-2 distribution, in which case you are balanced and can open or rebid no trumps. If you bid the same suit a third time, you should have a seven card suit or an excel- lent six card suit.

Dealer South Both Vulnerable

The Bidding 4AKQJ 7 4 3

• A 7 7 + 10 8 7 410

8 6 5 • K Q 8 6 3 A K 3 2