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Avoid Minor Suits?

This article was taken from Andrew's What Should Have Happened Book

Last week’s tip was “Avoid minor suit games”. True - but you must not avoid bidding s and ♣s at lower levels - minor suit part-scores are perfectly acceptable

 
South Deals
None Vul
♠ K 6 4 3
7
A 9 7 2
♣ J 10 7 2
♠ J 9 8 7
K 10 4
Q J 6 3
♣ K 5
N
W   E
S
♠ Q 10 2
J 9 6 2
K 10 4
♣ A 4 3
  ♠ A 5
A Q 8 5 3
8 5
♣ Q 9 8 6
West North East South
      1
Pass 1 ♠ Pass 2 ♣
Pass 3 ♣ Pass Pass
Pass

I have seen players holding hands similar to South’s rebid 2 rather than 2♣. This is a bad error - especially bearing in mind that bidding two suits actually shows five cards in your first choice. The resulting 3♣ contract was a delight to declare - all other contracts would have fared horribly.
West led Q and declarer won dummy’s A, played 7 to his A and trumped a . He crossed to ♠A and trumped a third - noting the fall of West’s K. He cashed dummy’s ♠K, trumped a third ♠ and led the master Q. West trumped with ♣5 (his best play) and declarer overtrumped. He led and trumped dummy’s fourth ♠, East discarding a ; then led his fifth , West discarding a , which he trumped with ♣10. East overtrumped with ♣A, cashed
K, and returned a trump to West’s ♣K. Declarer took the last trick - his tenth - with ♣Q.

ANDREW’S TIP: Avoid minor suit games but not minor suits.

4

 

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