8th February 2017

 S  QJ53
 H  Q54
 D  A6
 C  J974

This hand is from the Chester Congress Pairs final in January.

Love all Pairs. The bidding proceeds

South
West
North
East
Pass
1D Pass 1H
Pass
2H Pass
Pass
?




What do you bid now?

Part score boards are very important at pairs.  If the opponents have an eight card fit (as they almost certainly have here) and stop at the two level, you are very likely to also have an eight card fit and you should be competing.  Here you should double to show support for the unbid suits.

The bidding proceeds pass from opener, three clubs from partner, pass on your right, you pass and opener reluctantly (and inadvisedly) bid three hearts.

The full deal was


Dealer South
S
976
   
None Vul
H
A6
   
    D KQ7
   
    C K10832
   
S
A8
    S
K1042
H
K872
    H
J1093
D
J9832
    D
1054
C
A6
    C
Q4
    S
QJ53
   
    H
Q54
   
    D
A6
   
    C
J975
   



Declarer rather lost his way in three hearts and finished three down (it should have been two down) for a top to North South.
There is nothing special in the play of this hand, both two hearts and three clubs should go down and both sides have misjudged the level that they should be playing at, but an aggressive approach paid off.  In practice the result was different at each of the seven tables and even one off in three clubs would have been a 75% score.