The Times Improve Your Bridge Game. Andrew Robson

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СКАЧАТЬ alt=""/>K, declarer was able to cash five diamonds, AK, and the two major suit aces. 11 tricks.

       What should have happened

      If East overcalls 1

over 18 (top from two) vs 3NT. Dummy plays 3, East 9 and declarer 4. East continues with K, again ducked. Winning the third spade with A, declarer leads 3 to A. Note this play: he does not mind losing the lead to West should he hold the guarded K (West has no more spades). He leads to A in case East has a singleton K. Not this time!

      Declarer next leads

2 but East wins K and tables two winning spades. Down one.

Tip 20

      An overcall does not promise opening bid values.

       Deal 21

      Focussing on overcalling, let us say that you have an opening hand without a decent suit. Is it good tactics to overcall? NO! Just because you were going to open the bidding does not mean you should bid after an opponent has opened. If your suit is poor, and the hand looks like it will ‘blow up in your face’ should partner have a lousy hand, PASS!

       What happened

      How South wished he had kept quiet. West’s double of his 2

overcall showed a confident expectation of defeating the contract. How right he was!

      West led his singleton spade and East won

10. East then cashed

4 and led his fourth diamond. East overtrumped dummy’s

6 with

Q and led a third spade.

      Declarer, down to just his five trumps, tried

7, but West overtrumped with

8. West exited with a heart and declarer trumped perforce and led another trump. West won

J and

A. The defence had scored an unbelievable ten tricks, which included all six trumps. Five down and 1100 points to East-West.

       What should have happened

      Without the overcall, East-West would alight in an uninspiring 2

contract. It would probably make an overtrick.

Tip 21

      Just because you would have opened the bidding does not mean you should bid after an opponent has opened.

       Deal 22

      There is one aspect of overcalling that cannot be stressed enough. An overcall must contain at least FIVE cards. One or two tournament players experiment with the odd four-card overcall. But (1) their success is at best mixed and (2) they are tournament players and more experienced in handling the 4–3 fits that frequently result. My advice is: Don’t overcall on four-card suits.

       What happened

      South’s four-card spade suit was so chunky that he decided to risk the overcall. Not a good idea! North naturally supported him to 2

, expecting his three cards to give a fit of eight. West chanced a penalty double and led

8, to

9,

10 and

3.

      At Tricks Two and Three, East cashed

2, then switched to

9 (dummy’s weakness). Declarer played

2 and West won СКАЧАТЬ