This week’s hand has tons of instructional value, both in the bidding and the play, and if you can train yourself into the type of thinking displayed by South throughout the hand you will be on your way to great bridge. So, take it slowly and take it in. See the hand and bidding in Figure 1.

South judged that his hand was too strong for a no-trump opening and so chose to begin with one spade after three passes. After North raised to the two-level, South made a long-suit game try of three diamonds to ask for help in the suit.

As North held a fourth trump and good diamonds, she was happy to bid the spade game despite her minimum points.

West led the King of hearts, which held the trick as East signalled positively. West continued with the Jack of hearts to East’s Ace. East shifted to a club and declarer tried the Queen of clubs from hand. On winning the trick with the King of clubs, West tried to cash the Queen of hearts. Declarer ruffed this and cashed the Ace-King of trumps. When that suit proved to be 2-2 this was the position (see Figure 2).

Now declarer simply had to play the diamond suit without loss to make his contract. The usual way to play the diamond suit for three tricks is to cash the King of diamonds with the intent of finessing the Jack on the second round of the suit. However, this was not a normal situation.

Declarer remembered that West had passed as dealer and shown up with a lot of high cards: the Queen of spades, the King-Queen-Jack of hearts and the King of clubs – 11 high-card points! If he had the diamond Queen he would have opened the hand!

Declarer now placed the Queen of diamonds on his right, and took his only chance which was………. that West held the diamond 10!

Accordingly, declarer crossed to dummy with a trump to lead the Jack of diamonds. Declarer’s plan was to run it if East played low. At the table, East played the Queen of diamonds on the Jack.

Declarer took this with the King and led a low diamond back towards the dummy. When West followed low, declarer called for the diamond nine and the contract made – bravo!

Now let’s take one more look at how useful that long-suit game try convention is.

Let’s switch North’s red suit holdings and this is what we have. See Figure 3.

On the above, four spades would be an absolutely hopeless contract and North would refuse the game try and rest in three spades – and even that may be too high!

So the next time partner raises your suit and you have a better than normal hand and want to investigate game, bid the suit in which you need help and then let partner place the final contract.

An interesting subset to this – If you open one heart and partner raises to two hearts, a three-heart bid by you is now not a game try – it basically pre-emptive to stop the opponents from backing into the auction and perhaps finding a spade fit.

So the only game try bid is a new suit.

• David Ezekiel can be reached on davidezekiel999@gmail.com

BRIDGE CLUB RESULTS

Friday, October 11

1= Stephanie Kyme/Diana Diel

2= Rachael Gosling/William Pollett

3. Delton Outerbridge/Betsy Baillie

Monday, October 14

1. Peter Donnellan/Richard Meredith

2. Patricia Siddle/Diana Diel

3. Rachael Gosling/Margaret Way

Tuesday, October 15

1. Wendell Emery/Linda Manders

2. Joshimer Tadman/Julia Tadman

3. Nikki Boyce/Carol Eastham

Wednesday, October 16

1. Sheena Rayner/Molly Taussig

2. Charles Hall/Linda Pollett

3. David Petty/Rachael Gosling

Thursday, October 17

1. John Glynn/Rachael Gosling

2. Miodrag Novakovic/Margaret Way

3. Peter Donnellan/Lynanne Bolton