Problem

The Auction:

West opens the auction with 1♠, you overcall with 1NT, West and North pass, but East answers with 2♠. What are you going to bid?

Solution

You consider your stoppers in spades strong enough to go on to 2NT. North responds with 3♣ (6-12 HCP, 5+ clubs) and you declare 3NT.

East doubles. Predictably West leads spades – the ♠5. You play the dummy`s singleton spade, East covers with the ♠K and you take the first trick with the ♠A (trick 1).

Your hands match well, as you have eight clubs with only the king missing and eight diamonds – from this suit you miss the ace. If the distribution offers no unpleasant surprises you should be able to collect seven or eight tricks with clubs and diamonds (depending if the ♣K is finessable or not).

Plus you have the ♥KQ, not to mention the ♠Q10.

You lead the ♣Q, West covers with the king, you win the trick with dummy`s ♣A (trick 2), lead a small club from dummy and take this trick with ♣10 (trick 3). Now you can cash in three tricks in clubs, first leading a small club and winning the trick with the ♣J from dummy, then leading two dummy`s clubs successively (tricks 4, 5, 6).

As these are the last clubs, West discards two small spades and a heart, East a small diamond and a heart, while you discard the ♥2 and ♦2.

You lead the dummy`s ♦Q next, West wins the trick with the ♦A (trick 7) and leads the ♠J. You discard a small heart from dummy and take the trick with the ♠Q (trick 8). Now you lead a small diamond to dummy`s J (trick 9) and then the ♦10 to your king – the opponents both discard hearts (trick 10).

Next you take a trick with the ♠10 (trick 11) and lead the ♥K – West wins this trick with the ace (trick 12) and leads the ♥J to dummy`s queen (trick 13).

If there`s anything some players dread more than 3NT, it has to be playing 1NT (when you are never sure which way the coin falls as the points are probably split half-and-half).

And if there`s anything more awful, then it must be 3NT doubled – the opponents showing confidence in their strength, or to be more precise – in their long suit.

But in this case your bid was justified as you had enough stoppers in spades – the ♠AQ10. Even if West, who opened the auction had had the ♠K, he would have led a small spade anyway and you could have won the first trick with the ♠10 or ♠Q.

Overall you won 11 tricks 3NT +2, doubled.

Par Contract Analysis

The par contract on this hand is 5NT by South.