Hand of the Week

West passes and North opens 1C or 1S or even 1NT.   East passes.

If NS are playing 5-card Spade openings then North has to open 1C.   This gives South a bit of a headache as their only suit is clubs, but raising 3C/4C/5C doesn't really do the hand justice. You may have to fib and respond 1D to keep the bidding open.

If North opens 1NT then South also has a headache.   You're worth 20 points, so combined you have 32-34, so probably 6NT is a good bash.   You can use a "rangefinder" 2S to ask if North is minimum or maximum, and here North is maximum and rebids 3S or 3NT, and South goes 6NT.

If North opens 1S South has an easier response, 2C.   North now rebids 2NT which is 15-19 points.   South knows there are 34-38 points and can easily bid 6NT.   If you want to try for glory then 5NT is asking partner to bid 6NT if minimum, 7NT if maximum, and here 15 is minimum so 6NT.

If North is declarer then East leads a low heart.   North thinks this is probably low from the King, I can let it run to my Queen.   Going up with the ace of hearts looks a little dangerous if you lose a trick to West, you are in danger in hearts. But in fact you can count 12 top tricks so just take the Ace.

You have 12 top tricks, but the computer says you can make all 13.   There's a squeeze on West. Cash all your clubs and spades.   West can discard 4 spades, a heart, and a diamond, but on the last club or spade they are squeezed.    They hold the King of Hearts and QT9 of diamonds.    North leads the jack of spades and watches West's discard.   If it's the king of hearts then the HQ is good.    So West discards a diamond but this unguards the Queen.   Declarer knows the HQ isn't high so tries the diamonds, KAJ voila !

- Giles