Virtue is its own reward

Fred (Fred Gitelman) suggests to play this sequence:

1♥ 1♠
2♥ 2♠ as forcing

since there is no use arguing when there is a misfit. We have adopted this treatment and have been playing it for some years now. When that sequence arrives, it is always fun and interesting. After 2♠, opener continues like this :

2NT = 4 clubs
3♣ = 4 diamonds
3♦ = nothing to say
3♥ = spade fit
3♠ = splinter in spade, 7 hearts
3NT = 7222 max
4♣ = splinter, 7 hearts
4♦ = splinter, 7 hearts
4♥ = 7222 minimum

Here is a hand we had last Thursday, January 24, in a STAC.



I got a diamond lead. Pretty nice slam with 28 points; in fact Q of ♦ is useless, as are Q of ♣ and J of ♣. So a very solid slam with 23 points.

RHO won diamond Ace and played a club back. I won the Ace played 3 rounds of spades (3-1). Now with hearts behaving, I make 12 tricks. Alas, hearts were 5-0, the 5 sitting behind dummy. Ouch ‼! In a local club game, you get a sure zero.

Only consolation: we had bid the hand with great accuracy, using Fred’s brilliant toy.

We will get them next time :)