| Board 23 South Deals Both Vul |
♠ 7 6 3 ♥ — ♦ A J 10 8 7 5 4 3 2 ♣ 9 |
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♠ A K 10 8 ♥ Q 7 6 ♦ K 9 ♣ K J 4 3 |
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♠ Q J 9 4 ♥ A J 10 4 2 ♦ — ♣ Q 10 8 5 |
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| ♠ 5 2 ♥ K 9 8 5 3 ♦ Q 6 ♣ A 7 6 2 |
W 4♠; EW 4♥; W 5♣; E 3♠; NS 4♦; E 4♣; NS 2N
| West | North | East | South |
| Pass | |||
| 1 NT | 5 ♦ | ? |
When North sees the 1NT open on his right, and knows that's where the 15-17 HCPs are, North can pretty much assume there's a game for E/W. (As it turns out, there are three games possible, in spades, hearts, and clubs.)
Anyhow, with South having already passed, and a hand that plays only in diamonds, and behind the NT opener, North can go to town. 3♦ won't be enough for many North bidders, because East could cuebid with 4♦ to have West bid a major suit game. 4♦ also may not be enough, although that would certainly get in the way of E/W finding what they need to. Bidding 5♦ forces East to either 1)double, which will be a good score for North assuming he goes down no more than 2 tricks doubled, or 2)cuebid 6♦ for a major suit slam, which East might think is there - but in fact is not by a trick or two, or 3)bid 5♥ with a 5-card suit having at least a 5-2 fit with the NT opener and hoping for more than that, or 4)passing and letting West decide what to do.
This is a hand where you and your partner should discuss interfering with North's hand. What are you comfortable with? And what would you and your partner do in East's position with a diamond preemptive bid?
| Board 8 East Deals E-W Vul |
♠ 10 8 7 6 ♥ 9 7 3 ♦ Q 5 ♣ 10 9 6 4 |
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♠ Q 9 5 3 ♥ K 8 ♦ 9 2 ♣ K J 7 3 2 |
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♠ K 2 ♥ A Q 10 6 5 4 2 ♦ A 7 ♣ A 8 |
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| ♠ A J 4 ♥ J ♦ K J 10 8 6 4 3 ♣ Q 5 |
EW 6♥; EW 5N; EW 3♠; EW 4♣; NS 1♦
East opens - with such a strong hand and 4 LTC, many will open 2♣, but some
will open 1♥.
South's dilemma here not vulnerable isn't whether or not to bid diamonds, but how many? Sitting behind a long-suited hand (it won't be diamonds) or a 22-24 HCP flat hand, overcalling a 2♣ opener is likely a sacrifice. A 2♦ bid will most likely be doubled (alerted as stolen or waiting). Any other bid by West is a free bid at the 2-level anyway, and so bidding 2♦ does nothing to really interfere with the E/W contract. . .other than tell North "I have diamonds." A 3♦ overcall by South will slow down the auction some, but again - it allows a suit bid by West and they could stop at 3NT.
What if South bids 4♦? This bypasses 3NT as any final E/W contract, and with this shape (7 LTC) you're probably down 3 (even doubled, that might be just fine). With a 4♦ overcall, West's best bet is to double; there COULD be a NT slam if East is a flat 22-24. But the double by West allows East to bid a suit. With West's distribution, any suit bid by East will be good for a raise to the 5-level. It's still difficult to find the heart slam, unless East cuebids 5♦ (to show a control in the suit).
At my table, after my 4♦ bid West thought about it - for a long time - and bid 5♣, West's long suit. The result was not in their favor, but making it difficult for the opponent to find the correct game is what overcall preempts are all about. This seemed like a perfect hand for such a preempt, especially with a 2♣ opener on the right.
Even if East opens 1♥, a 4♦ overcall will make it tough for West to bid 4♥ (possibly a 5-2 fit) and any other bid requires a diamond cuebid from East to get to a heart slam. However - if East opens 1♥, you don't want to miss a spade game with your partner. . .so bidding 4♦ isn't such a great idea in that case. With a 1♥ open, a 3♦ overcall might stop them at game anyhow. . .and there wasn't one pair in eight that bid the slam on this hand one Monday.
| West | North | East | South |
| 2 ♣ | 4 ♦ | ||
| ? |