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Daily Bridge in New Zealand
It’s Fri 
Day for our newer players.
The Right Beginning.
One from our Beginners’ lessons today, or it might have been. Let’s see what your choice of bid would be with the following:
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West |
North |
East |
South |
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1 ♥ |
? |
Well, one South chose to double and the bidding went quite tamely after that. Let’s have a look at the 4 hands and the subsequent bidding:
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East Deals |
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West |
North |
East |
South |
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1 ♥ |
Dbl |
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Pass |
2 ♦ |
All pass |
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We might have a quiet word with North that with 11 hcp they should actually jump to 3
to show they have at least 10 hcp (this shows 10-12 hcp) after which South has to try for game, 3NT being their best shot (partner should and indeed does help you out in the spade suit). When North only bid 2, then you were right to pass.
West led 
9 and our declarer duly made 10 tricks including taking a successful finesse of the Q. That was worth +130. Yet, others had done better making 9 tricks in 3NT which gave them a score of + 400.
Let’s look at your double. You would not really enjoy hearing your partner bid spades, the suit you promised at least 4 cards, occasionally 3, but only if you were really strong, say 19+ hcp, you might you have 2.
so your best bid is?
With a hold in hearts, and you have 2, and 15-17 (maybe 18) hcp, and the shape you have, a better bid is 1NT. With the same hand and 11-14 hcp, you should pass the opening bid, even though you have an opening hand.
Once you have shown 15-18 hcp, your partner can add the hcp of your two hands together and the answer is a minimum 26. So, North bids 3NT knowing you have a hold in hearts.
This contract should make on any lead. Let’s say West leads 9 and East plays low (East knows where AQ are, no need to play the king). You win and should try to make 4 tricks in your combined longest suit, diamonds. Low to the king and back to the jack. The news is good and you can take 4 diamond tricks to go with 2 in hearts and at least 3 in clubs. In fact, you next play clubs and assuming West has not discarded one, you will only make 9 tricks. That is still a much better score than playing in diamonds.
The key was that “double” was the wrong bid. Although your partner should have bid higher than 2, you got the auction started in the wrong way and then could not recover.
1NT overcall 15-18 with a hold in the opposition’s suit. Happy Bridging.
Richard Solomon
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