East knows there is still a trump outstanding, of course, and that South does not really know where it is, but I don’t think it matters. He might raise South’s blood pressure a bit by ducking that second club leading South to wonder – did West REALLY start with exactly 1=1 in the minors? Was he somehow psyching the opening lead from Qx or does he hold that second diamond? But frayed nerves or not, South has to follow through so it really shouldn’t matter.
Fun hand, for sure though. Should West have kept his mouth shut? To that, I’d say absolutely not. No chance the contract ends in diamonds instead of no trump if he does. At least, 5D presents a challenge.
Cheers,
Jeff
Iain ClimieJanuary 27th, 2026 at 9:34 am
Hi Jeff, Folks,
Should South bid 3N himself, though? After all, if D are not running, then neither 5D or 3N is likely to make unless North has significant extras although HJ10x might be enough to cover hearts. Even then spades could be a problem.
Regards,
Iain
Jeff SerandosJanuary 28th, 2026 at 5:31 am
Hi Iain,
That’s a good point. At the absolute worst, it could be seen as a slightly-delayed gambling 3NT to avoid ending the auction prematurely just in case his partner has something important to say.
Subscribe to our feed
Bridge-related
Hi Everyone,
East knows there is still a trump outstanding, of course, and that South does not really know where it is, but I don’t think it matters. He might raise South’s blood pressure a bit by ducking that second club leading South to wonder – did West REALLY start with exactly 1=1 in the minors? Was he somehow psyching the opening lead from Qx or does he hold that second diamond? But frayed nerves or not, South has to follow through so it really shouldn’t matter.
Fun hand, for sure though. Should West have kept his mouth shut? To that, I’d say absolutely not. No chance the contract ends in diamonds instead of no trump if he does. At least, 5D presents a challenge.
Cheers,
Jeff
Hi Jeff, Folks,
Should South bid 3N himself, though? After all, if D are not running, then neither 5D or 3N is likely to make unless North has significant extras although HJ10x might be enough to cover hearts. Even then spades could be a problem.
Regards,
Iain
Hi Iain,
That’s a good point. At the absolute worst, it could be seen as a slightly-delayed gambling 3NT to avoid ending the auction prematurely just in case his partner has something important to say.
Cheers,
jeff