Bridge

What is your opinion of the effectiveness of the Multi-coloured Two Diamonds opening bid? (Usually based on a Weak Two in either major.) Apart from creating an air of mystery about the subsequent auction, it sometimes pushes the opposition higher than they intended before they have sorted things out. But this is not always a good thing.

Well, as advertised, after two passes East opened 2# and South overcalled with 2NT. North's 3# response was a transfer to hearts, South obliged with 3!, and now North went back to 3NT. For no very good reason, South preferred 4! and all passed.

West, correctly judging that his partner's suit was spades, led 4A (which did declarer no harm) and switched to #7. After winning in hand, declarer cashed his two top hearts and continued with #A and #Q. Reading the position well, he overtook his queen with dummy's king and ruffed dummy's last diamond. Then he led 4K.

West was finished: if he ruffed, he would be reduced to leading clubs; if he discarded, declarer would ruff a spade on the table and put West in with the last trump. Note that if declarer had not overtaken his diamond winner (apparently unnecessarily) in dummy, West would have had a safe diamond exit and, in the fullness of time, would have come to two club tricks.

If East had turned up with the missing trump, there was still the possibility (by now unlikely) of his holding 2A as well. If there had been no opposition bidding, would North-South have got to game (or made it)? I doubt it.

North-South game; dealer West

North

47 5

!A 8 7 6 3

#K 8 6 3

27 4

West East

4A 4Q J 10 9 8 3

!J 10 5 !Q 4

#10 7 5 2 #9 4

2A J 8 6 2 2Q 9 3

South

4K 6 4 2

!K 9 2

#A Q J

2K 10 5