Advanced Declarer Problem of the Month
November, 1999
This month's hand comes from the 1996 Vanderbilt KO Teams in Philadelphia, PA. You are in a 3-way match in the opening round and are playing against the
#6 seeded team in the field.
MPs
Dealer: North
Vulnerable: Both
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NORTH  7 3 2 Q J 9 K Q 7 A J T 5 |
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SOUTH A Q 8 A 7 A 9 4 3 2 K Q 9 |
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| AUCTION | |||
| NORTH | EAST | SOUTH | WEST |
| 1(1) |
Pass | 2(2) |
Pass |
| 2(3) |
Pass | 4(4) |
Pass |
| 5(5) |
Pass | 6N | Pass |
| Pass | Pass | ||
(1) Precision: 11-15, could be as few as 2 diamonds
(2) Inverted raise: 5+ diamonds (usually), at least invitational values
(3) Stopper, typically 11-13 balanced
(4) RKC Blackwood for diamonds
(5) 2 keycards plus the Q
A word about the bidding: Adequate. South was not sure how many diamonds North had (a systemic oversight due to the fact that this was the
first time South had played this system). Nonetheless, N-S have reached an excellent contract, and played it from the correct side too...
The opening lead is the 8. Plan the play.