Last weekend’s women’s trials for the European championships – a playoff between two teams of four – was surprisingly enjoyable. Not only was I lucky enough to be partnering Paula Leslie, but also all eight of us got on exceptionally well. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced that level of friendliness in such a crucial match. Which made it marginally less painful when my team eventually lost by 205 to 242 imps. I’m still kicking myself for my mistakes, of course. But there’s one hand I just didn’t know how to bid – and still don’t, even after canvassing the opinions of some top players (see diagram).
In the other room, 7NT was reached after an auction which began 2♣-2♥-3◆-4NT. Paula opened 1◆. Of those I asked most preferred 2♣. But 1◆ works well if the oppo intervene at a high level, as you can bid spades next. I responded 1♥ and Paula jumped to 2♠.
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