Board of the day, solved: 21 October 2026
The bots bid UK Acol (weak no trump). Below the auction, every call is explained.
The four hands
North 13 points
- ♠ A Q J 10 4
- ♥ K 10 9 8 5 3
- ♦ J
- ♣ Q
West 7 points
- ♠ K 6
- ♥ 7 4 2
- ♦ 10 5 3
- ♣ A 8 7 6 5
East 8 points
- ♠ 9 7 5
- ♥ 6
- ♦ A K 7 4 2
- ♣ J 10 4 2
South 12 points
- ♠ 8 3 2
- ♥ A Q J
- ♦ Q 9 8 6
- ♣ K 9 3
The auction
| West | North | East | South |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass | 1♥ | Pass | 2NT |
| Pass | 4♥ | Pass | Pass |
| Pass |
Every call explained
- West: Pass – Not enough to open (7 points).
- North: 1♥ – 1♥: opening strength (13 points), 6 hearts.
- East: Pass – No suitable overcall or double.
- South: 2NT – 2NT: balanced, 10–12 points (invitational).
- West: Pass – No suitable overcall or double.
- North: 4♥ – Invitation accepted; with my 6-card heart suit I prefer 4♥.
- East: Pass – No suitable overcall or double.
- South: Pass – About 30 points together; I stop here.
- West: Pass – No suitable overcall or double.
Contract and best result
Contract: 4♥ by North.
With perfect play by everyone (double dummy) declarer takes 11 tricks: made with 1 overtrick.
Par (the best result for both sides): 4♠ by North-South (+1) / 4♥ by North-South (+1), +650 for North-South.
What do these words mean?
Double dummy: as if all four players could see each other’s cards and nobody made a mistake. That is how the computer works out what the board holds.
Par: the best result when both sides bid and play perfectly. Sometimes that is a contract that goes down, because the opponents would otherwise score more.
Down: the contract takes too few tricks. “1 down” means one trick short.
The opening lead
East leads ♦A. Top of a sequence in diamonds.
What does this board teach?
- Why the auction works: North-South have 9 hearts and 25 points between them. That is enough for game (rule of thumb: 25 points together, or a little less with a good fit). The key call is 4♥ (North): Invitation accepted; with my 6-card heart suit I prefer 4♥.
- 4♥ by North is also par: the best result for both sides.
- The lead of ♦A is one of the best with perfect play: another lead can cost a trick.
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