Bridge: use fundamental bridge strategy to elicit big penalties

Bridge robots are, evidently, programmed to be aggressive. Do not be intimidated. Draw a line in the sand.

Bidding
Dealer East
Game All

When the hand is a misfit, defend. When your side also holds the majority of points, double and defend. South’s 1S overcall is preferable to a first-round double, since a 5-3 fit will be found. West’s negative double is horrible: a weak hand, defensive value in spades, and not strong enough ever to show the fifth heart. North’s 1NT is aggressive, too. In response to an overcall, 1NT should really show 10-13 points, but at least the clubs were excellent quality. East’s 2C rebid is possibly the worst bid of all, but playing a system where you can open short minor suits always means competition is harder.

Most South players now ignored the glaring misfit (at least in the suits actually bid) and competed with 2D. Even if pushed to 3D, this makes, of course, but one South player noted the vulnerability and decided that even one down for +200 would score far better than anything his side could make, so he doubled again and North passed. ♦AKQ were led, the third one ruffed. By the time the hand was through, with North taking three trump tricks and scoring his fourth diamond right at the end, East had managed only five tricks, and N/S revelled in +800.

Paul Mendelson’s new book, ‘The Joy of Bridge’, is out now