BRIDGE
Sterner stuff
Andrew Robson
THERE IS a modern trend amongst experts to gamble 3NT after an opponent has preempted. There is sound logic to this — the preemptor can often be frozen out of the game. Further, suit contracts can often be wrecked by bad trump splits and unexpected trumping of declarer's winners. But would you have the nerve to bid 3NT with this week's South's hand? And then stand your ground when doubled? And redoubled? Here is the hand — taken from The 1999 Las Vegas Cavendish Calcutta:.
Dealer West North-South Vulnerable South West 34 3NT pass pass pass pass pass East pass double pass redouble West led 4K against 3NT redoubled, and declarer was forced to duck in dummy, in order to exhaust East of his 4s. West continued with 40 and declarer won dummy's 4A, discarding V2 from hand, and turned his attention to 11.5. He finessed
• J, cashed *A, then gave East *K. East, with no more 4s to lead, tried switching to V3, but declarer rose with VK and was able to cash all his established 4s and +A. He had made his redoubled contract and his courage in the bidding had been vindicated.
Could the defence have done better? The answer is an emphatic yes! If West switches to 7V at trick two then the con- tract is wrecked. Best is for East to insert VJ on West's V7 switch and for declarer to duck. East continues with V3 and declarer wins VK and may fall for the temptation to play 4A and 4q). If he does then East will win 4K, lead 47, and watch declarer, through the lack of a re-entry to hand, make just one more trick, +A. He would be five down, losing 2800 points!
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