Goren Bridge: Know your agreements

Goren Bridge: Know your agreements

Today’s deal was played just a few days ago, as we write this, at the National Championships in Louisville, Kentucky. North-South were in hot pursuit of a victory in a National Pair event when they had a mix-up about their bidding agreements.North intended his two-diamond bid to be natural and that he was placing the contract in the best place for the partnership. North was right about two diamonds being the best contract for his side, but South interpreted the bid as a transfer to hearts and duly bid two hearts. This created an ethical dilemma for North. South had announced the two-diamond bid as a transfer and North knew there had been a misunderstanding. The laws, however, require him to bid as though his partner had explained the two-diamond bid as natural and bid two hearts anyway. In that case, the North hand would be a suitable dummy for a heart contract and there was no reason to bid diamonds again. North did the ethical thing and passed two-hearts doubled, for which he deserves much credit. We are afraid that not all players would have done the same.East overtook the queen of clubs lead to play a heart, allowing West to draw trumps. West led the jack of clubs, which East overtook to run his club suit. The defence took all 13 tricks — six hearts, six clubs, and a spade — for a penalty of 2300 points! North-South finished second in this event. An average score on this deal would have seen them finish on top! Published – January 02, 2025 09:05 am IST

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