BRIDGE
Risking it
Andrew Robson
THE CURRENT trend among top players is to overcall freely at the one-level, but to require considerably more playing strength to overcall at the two-level (typically an opening bid with a six-card suit). Less experienced players tend to be less level- conscious and maybe they have a point.
North-South achieved a fine result on this week's hand, but things could so easily have been very different.
Dealer North Both Vulnerable 4 A K 9 3 ✓ A K 10 9 7 4 4 8 7 5 V 3 2 • K Q 4 4 Q 10 8 5
3 • 10 5 3
4 6 4 V 8 6 5
• J 8 6 # A K J 9 4 W
s
4 Q J 10 2 • Q J • A 9 7 2 4 7 6 2 The Bidding South West North East 1V pass 14 pass 4+ pass 4• pass 74 pass pass pass North's jump to 4+ was a splinter bid, showing 4 shortage, primary 4 support, and a slam-interested hand. After South's 4• bid — an ace-showing 'cue bid' North took a pot at the grand slam. In truth this was a pretty optimistic shot, but South's queen-knave combinations in both majors made 74 an excellent contract.
South won West's •K opening lead with • A, trumped +2 with dummy's 4A, led back 43 to his 410, then trumped +6 with 4K. He cashed dummy's 49, crossed to his VJ, cashed his two remaining trumps dis- carding dummy's two • losers, then over- took his VQ with dummy's VK and cashed dummy's four V winners.
Now to overcall 2+ with East's hand over North's 1V opener would certainly be a risky bid. Holding three small cards in the suit opened and such a balanced hand- type, 2+ could easily go for a large penalty. But that is the risk that one East player took at another table (in the Swiss teams at my bridge club). How did he fare?
South bid 2+ — 24 would have implied a five-card suit — and West jammed the bidding with 4+. North reasonably tried 4V and there the matter rested, declarer making 11 tricks. East's overcall had pre- vented North-South from even mentioning 4s. What a contrast!
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