Deal 56
 
 
 
♠  
 
 
♣  
 
 WEST  NORTH  EAST  SOUTH
11NTpass BID 
 
 
 

The bidding has gone as shown.
Decide what you would say, then click on BID above.
  ♠ 5 3
A J 8 6 2
7 5 2
♣ K J 9
 

 
Deal 56
 
 
 
♠  
 
 
♣  
 
 WEST  NORTH  EAST  SOUTH
11NTpass2
pass2pass BID 
 
 

ALERT! You may use different bidding here!
The question is: Do you use Transfers after a 1NT OVERCALL? And in particular, can you bid the opponent's suit and have it mean a transfer instead of a cue-bid? This is something you and your partner need to agree on - as for me and my partner, we think 2 is a transfer.
Partner replies 2. What do you say now?
  ♠ 5 3
A J 8 6 2
7 5 2
♣ K J 9
 

 
Deal 56
 
 
 
♠ A Q 8 2
Q 10 9
K 10 4
♣ A 10 6
 
 WEST  NORTH  EAST  SOUTH
11NTpass2
pass2pass3NT
pass4passpass
pass

ALERT! You may use different bidding here!
The question is: Do you use Transfers after a 1NT OVERCALL? And in particular, can you bid the opponent's suit and have it mean a transfer instead of a cue-bid? This is something you and your partner need to agree on - as for me and my partner, we think 2 is a transfer.
Partner replies 2. What do you say now?

With 10 points you are between Invitational and Game-forcing.
Which means you bid either 2NT or 3NT, whichever suits your fancy.
Today let's say it is 3NT which partner converts to 4.

Click NEXT to continue.
  ♠ 5 3
A J 8 6 2
7 5 2
♣ K J 9
 

 
Deal 56
 
 
 
♠ A Q 8 2
Q 10 9
K 10 4
♣ A 10 6
 
 WEST  NORTH  EAST  SOUTH
11NTpass2
pass2pass3NT
pass4passpass
pass

The contract would be 4 played by North.

To make South the declarer click ROTATE .
  ♠ 5 3
A J 8 6 2
7 5 2
♣ K J 9
 

 
Deal 56
 
4
OL: 9
♠ 5 3
A J 8 6 2
7 5 2
♣ K J 9
 
 WEST  NORTH  EAST  SOUTH
11NT
pass2pass2
pass3NTpass4
passpasspass

South plays 4. West leads the 9.
East wins the first trick with the A, then plays Q.
You take your K now, fearing that the next one could be ruffed by West.

Make a Plan, then click NEXT .
  ♠ A Q 8 2
Q 10 9
K 10 4
♣ A 10 6
 

 
Deal 56
 
4
OL: 9
♠ 5 3
A J 8 6 2
7 5 2
♣ K J 9
  Loser List: ♠ = 1 : = 1 : = 2 : ♣ = 1 :: Total = 5

You hope East, who opened the bidding, (as West before the hands were rotated), will have the ♠K, which would reduce your losers to 4.

You win the second and play your Q, taken by East with the K. He cashes the J, West following, then exits with a small .

 NEXT 
  ♠ A Q 8 2
Q 10 9
K 10 4
♣ A 10 6
 

 
Deal 56
 
4
OL: 9
♠ 5 3
A J 8 6 2
7 5 2
♣ K J 9
  Loser List: ♠ = 1 : = 1 : = 2 : ♣ = 1 :: Total = 5


You hope East, who opened the bidding, (as West before the hands were rotated), will have the ♠K, which would reduce your losers to 4.

You win the second and play your Q, taken by East with the K. He cashes the J, West following, then exits with a small .


Win this trump and play one more, pulling East's last trump and ending in dummy.
Play a ♠ to your ♠Q (which wins) then play ♠A and ruff a ♠ in dummy.
East follows with the ♠7, ♠J and ♠K.
Now you must try the ♣ finesse, but through whom?

Is it a 50-50 guess? Or is East more likely to have the ♣Q since he had the opening hand?

 NEXT 
  ♠ A Q 8 2
Q 10 9
K 10 4
♣ A 10 6
 

 
Deal 56
 
4
OL: 9
♠ 5 3
A J 8 6 2
7 5 2
♣ K J 9
  Loser List: ♠ = 1 : = 1 : = 2 : ♣ = 1 :: Total = 5

You hope East, who opened the bidding, (as West before the hands were rotated), will have the ♠K, which would reduce your losers to 4.
You win the second and play your Q, taken by East with the K. He cashes the J, West following, then exits with a small .
Win this trump and play one more, pulling East's last trump and ending in dummy.
Play a ♠ to your ♠Q (which wins) then play ♠A and ruff a ♠ in dummy.
East follows with the ♠7, ♠J and ♠K.
Now you must try the ♣ finesse, but through whom?
Is it a 50-50 guess? Or is East more likely to have the ♣Q since he had the opening hand?


No, it is not a 50-50 guess. No, East doesn't have the ♣Q, West does.
If you watched the cards that East has played you will realize he started with 3-3-4-3 distribution. You will also know that he started with 14 points outside the ♣ suit. If he had the ♣Q he would have a balanced 16 point hand and would have opened 1NT, not 1. So West has the ♣Q.

Click NEXT to see the full deal.
  ♠ A Q 8 2
Q 10 9
K 10 4
♣ A 10 6
 

 
Deal 56
 
4
OL: 9
♠ 5 3
A J 8 6 2
7 5 2
♣ K J 9
  You can go through 100 hands and on 99 of them it won't matter if you pay attention to the cards played by the defenders or not.

But if you don't pay attention on all 100 of them you will miss the one time where your attention was needed.

Deal 57
♠ 10 9 6 4
7 4
9 6 3
♣ Q 8 4 2
♠ K J 7
K 5 3
A Q J 8
♣ 7 5 3
  ♠ A Q 8 2
Q 10 9
K 10 4
♣ A 10 6