FACING a 2NT opening, many pairs nowadays use 3C as five-card Stayman, asking for a five-card major. If the opener denies one by responding 3D, there is still space to investigate a 4-4 major-suit fit. When this deal arose, North-South were playing standard Stayman. How would you play 3NT when West leads the seven of clubs? Suppose you try dummy’s jack of clubs, which wins the trick. You have seven top tricks and need two more for the game. You sit back in your chair, wondering where these two extra tricks are hiding. Too late! If you started that way, you have already blown the contract. The time to make a plan, as everyone knows, is before you play to the first trick. Here you can see that one spede, one diamond, four hearts and three clubs will give you a total of nine tricks. All you need to arrange is an entry to dummy. So you can enjoy four tricks from the blocked heart suit. That’s not too difficult, once you have made the effort of planning your line of play. You win the first trick with the ace of clubs, unblock the two top hearts and lead a low club to dummy’s J-10. Whether or not West takes the club queen on the second round, you will reach dummy with a club to score the two heart winners there.
What will you say now on these West cards?
Answer Whatever the vulnerability, you ate worth a raise to 5C. The contract may well go one (or two) down but it is important to apply pressure on the North player, who is lilely to hold a strong hand with spade length. Let him guess whether you are very strong, relatively weak, or hold a hand some where in the middle like this. Jump to the highest level that your hand merits straight away. Passing or bidding 4C, intending to goto 5C later, will make life much easier for the North player.
FACING a 2NT opening, many pairs nowadays use 3C as five-card Stayman, asking for a five-card major. If the opener denies one by responding 3D, there is still space to investigate a 4-4 major-suit fit. When this deal arose, North-South were playing standard Stayman. How would you play 3NT when West leads the seven of clubs? Suppose you try dummy’s jack of clubs, which wins the trick. You have seven top tricks and need two more for the game. You sit back in your chair, wondering where these two extra tricks are hiding. Too late! If you started that way, you have already blown the contract. The time to make a plan, as everyone knows, is before you play to the first trick. Here you can see that one spede, one diamond, four hearts and three clubs will give you a total of nine tricks. All you need to arrange is an entry to dummy. So you can enjoy four tricks from the blocked heart suit. That’s not too difficult, once you have made the effort of planning your line of play. You win the first trick with the ace of clubs, unblock the two top hearts and lead a low club to dummy’s J-10. Whether or not West takes the club queen on the second round, you will reach dummy with a club to score the two heart winners there.
Whatever the vulnerability, you ate worth a raise to 5C. The contract may well go one (or two) down but it is important to apply pressure on the North player, who is lilely to hold a strong hand with spade length. Let him guess whether you are very strong, relatively weak, or hold a hand some where in the middle like this. Jump to the highest level that your hand merits straight away. Passing or bidding 4C, intending to goto 5C later, will make life much easier for the North player.