This deal from the recent European Championships in Ostend caused havoc – and also featured one of the most ingenious bids I have ever seen. I will show you the full hand, and invite you to guess what the contract was at the table where Frangos Philippos of Cyprus held the North cards. North-South vulnerable, dealer West.
When you pick up a hand like North's, various tactical possibilities occur to you, particularly at the vulnerability. If partner has only a tiny bit of help for you in one of the red suits, your side is certain to make a slam – but if the opponents bid a lot of spades, they may find a profitable sacrifice. So your object is to bid in such a way as to deter enemy pre-emption while discovering if South has anything at all in either of your suits.
Of course, the last thing on your mind is that the opponents might actually be able to make a high-level contract – but that is the case on the actual deal, where it is East-West who can make a slam in clubs. At tables where North opened the bidding with one heart, East was able to introduce his club suit and West supported it vigorously, leading to a final contract of six clubs doubled at several tables. Where North instead opened with his side's strong bid – one club in a few cases, two clubs in others – East found no convenient opportunity to enter the auction and North-South usually found their way to six hearts or six diamonds. Those contracts failed on the dreadful splits in the red suits, but the North-South pairs had at least found a good sacrifice.
And our Cypriot? Why, Mr Frangos opened the North hand with his side's strong bid, an artificial two diamonds. East chose to double this for takeout, as if the bid were natural – but both South and West thought that East was just showing a diamond suit, so two diamonds doubled was passed back to North. Reflecting that although this contract would probably make, it was not yet game, Frangos took the step of removing it to three diamonds. Sure enough, East doubled again, and both South and West passed and waited for North to bid his real suit – surely not diamonds. Oh yes, thought Frangos to himself, and he has two doubled overtricks and a score of 1070 to prove it.
