Bridge Column for September 6, 1992
Dealer: South
Vulnerable: N/S 

                              S: A K 3
                              H: K          
                              D: A K Q 10 5
                              C: A K Q 6

            S: Q J 10 9 8       N          S: 7 4 2   
            H: 9 5 3         W     E       H: A J 10 8 6 4
            D: 9 7 6            S          D: J 3 2   
            C: 10 3                        C: 8          
                          
                              S: 6 5  
                              H: Q 7 2    
                              D: 8 4
                              C: J 9 7 5 4 2

                 EAST    SOUTH    WEST    NORTH
                          PASS    PASS     1D    
                  1H      PASS    PASS     2H  
                 PASS      3C     PASS     6C  
                 (ALL PASS)
     Bridge writers in general have a tendency to go to great
lengths explaining why tournament players are so aggressive in
the bidding and play of a hand.  The neat thing about the game of
bridge, however, is that each player looks at situations
differently.  Take this hand, for instance.  Statistically
speaking, the odds against picking up a hand with 28 high card
points are about 3 billion to one.  As a result, we don't get a
whole lot of practice bidding these monsters.  
     This time the game was Rubber Bridge and the stakes were
nominal.  North was third to call and after two passes he made an
opening bid of one diamond.  I would expect that the auction
should now go pass, pass, pass.  And if that were the case, North
would have been properly punished for his timid bidding.  But
East was non-vulnerable, aggressive, and the holder of a fine    
six card suit.  The heart over-call allowed North to create a
forcing auction and to reach a small slam in clubs.  West led a
heart to the ace, and had he not done so, declarer would have
scored all 13 tricks.
     After the hand was over, North was asked why he selected one
diamond as his opening call.  The reply was "I just didn't feel
it was the right kind of hand for a two diamond opening."  Now
that's what I would call a conservative approach.
     If this hand had come up at a tournament where many players
would have had the opportunity to evaluate it I am sure they
would have used a number of different methods.  Two clubs would
be the choice of those who were using that bid for all of their
game forcing hands.  One club would work for the Precision Club
or the Schenken bidders.  Standard American players would
probably bid a strong two diamonds.  All of these calls are
forcing and would allow the partnership to evaluate the prospects
for slam.  Twelve tricks are available if the hand is played at
six no trump or six clubs, and I am sure that those would be the
most popular contracts, but I would not be surprised to see many
partnerships stopping at five clubs because it is so hard to
determine if the South hand has the right cards to take care of
the two loser's in the North hand.  A likely auction might be:

                    North      South
                     2D         2NT (negative)
                     3C         4C
                     4D         5C
                      ?  

     Think about it.  What would you bid?