Personally, doubling will only let East off the hook, as he has now a chance to find a fit suit with his partner who is obviously pointless. MOreover, your partner will have some useful values outside clubs, which will ensure at least that there is one running side suit somewhere. I suspect East will have a club stop to warrant his INT overcall, but your Kings are certainly well placed. Three no trumps could be risky, but with a blind West on lead, it is worth a punt.

PS. Please have a look at my latest post on http://www.bizarrebridgeworld.blogspot.com because I’m very interested to know whether you have come across hands say where the same high level contract can be bid and made by both pairs.

This is such an elegant hand. What is so great about it, is that it is very reasonable to expect West to have 7+ spades, and east to have 5+ hearts, thanks to the informative auction.

So, correctly playing this hand is not limited to a select class of experts, but rather to any intermediate/advanced player who can count to 13.

Hi Paul,

It is really nice to hear from you.

Although years are passing, you, at least to me, will always be thought of as representing the bridge youth of today. That, together with your emotion and enthusiasm for bridge is a more welcome sight to me than anyone can imagine.

Yes, it is a great hand and you are right on target when you suggest the play of this hand, with the transparent bidding to help, should be relatively “duck soup” “for any intermediate/advanced player who can count to 13”.

Perhaps the only slippery banana peel to overcome is for aspiring players, even bright beginners, to be taught to count the opponent’s hands based, of course, on the bidding and sometimes with what is discovered in the play up to the crucial point.

Having been taught that way, and having two VERY high-level bridge playing parents for foundation, sets you apart from some other less fortunate bridge enthusiasts.

Everyone who knows you is proud of who you are and what you represent.

Thanks for writing!

Hi Howard,

Yes, I have probably run across “trick” hands which, determining who is on lead, will allow some major “same contracts”, even 7NT, either way to make, to be determined, by who is on lead. For example, if North held the seven top spades and the six top hearts, and as dealer, he might need to open the bidding 7NT, assuming East would hold the six lowest spades and the seven lowest hearts, because if he didn’t and opened something less, it would be East who would open 7NT, catching South with the seven lowest diamonds and the six lowest clubs. leaving his partner, West, with the six highest diamonds and the seven highest clubs.

While this hand has reportedly never come up, and if so, it might even be considered doubtful that neither North nor East would “rush” to 7NT. Obviously also, if either did, there might even be one or two kibitzers who would shout from the “highest rooftops” that everything was above board and therefore coincidental that either North and especially East were not only well within their rights to do so, but no one should question their “honesty”.

As the bard might say, assuming he played bridge as well as he wrote, “On such a full sea are we now afloat and we must take the current when it serves or lose our fortunes”.

Keep going with your wonderful newsletter and personality.

Getting back to bridge and from South’s vantage point, I do not think he should punt 3NT since it is dollars to doughnuts that East has more than one club stop since he cannot have a solid suit anywhere and it is likely that the disadvantageous club position will “sink” NS’s being able to outscore their opponents, at least 9 to 4.