BRIDGE
Full marks
Andrew Robson
IT IS RARE that a 2NT opening bid (20 - 22 points) pre-empts the opponents out of making a game contract. This week's hand from the British Premier League features my partner Tony Forrester, Britain's most successful player over the last 20 years. Not only did his 2NT opener prevent the opponents from bidding and making 44, but he actually made 2NT — my zero- point dummy taking two tricks!
Dealer South Both sides Vulnerable The Bidding South West North East 2NT All pass Tony won West's 44 lead with dummy's 10 and led a club to the jack and king. West, unwilling to break open a new suit, passively returned 49 which Tony won and cashed his fourth club. Tony led *0:2 to East's ace and East returned •10. Tony won VA, disguising his strength, and led • 4; West pondered for a while before playing low — fatally. Dummy's 410 was declarer's fifth trick and he still had three heart winners.
Had West dealt and opened the bidding with 14 (preferring the major to the minor), it is likely that he would declare 44. Careful play yields 10 tricks: say North leads a heart and South switches to a trump at trick two; declarer wins in dummy and leads his singleton club; South wins 4A and plays his second trump. Declarer wins 4J, ruffs a club, cashes •A,
• K and 4K discarding dummy's remain- ing diamond and ruffs a diamond, estab- lishing his fourth diamond. He ruffs a heart, draws the last trump and cashes the diamond. He loses a club at the end but 10 tricks are his.
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