Board of the day, solved: 22 October 2026
The bots bid UK Acol (weak no trump). Below the auction, every call is explained.
The four hands
North 14 points
- ♠ K 9 8 7 5
- ♥ Q 4
- ♦ A 10 9
- ♣ A J 10
West 7 points
- ♠ 4
- ♥ K 9 8 7 6 3
- ♦ J 7 3 2
- ♣ K 5
East 6 points
- ♠ J
- ♥ J 5 2
- ♦ Q 6 4
- ♣ Q 9 8 7 4 3
South 13 points
- ♠ A Q 10 6 3 2
- ♥ A 10
- ♦ K 8 5
- ♣ 6 2
The auction
| West | North | East | South |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1♠ | |||
| Pass | 4♠ | Pass | Pass |
| Pass |
Every call explained
- South: 1♠ – 1♠: opening strength (13 points), 6 spades.
- West: Pass – No suitable overcall or double.
- North: 4♠ – Support for partner's spades (5 cards), 15 points including shape: raise to 4♠.
- East: Pass – No suitable overcall or double.
- South: Pass – Partner bid game.
- West: Pass – No suitable overcall or double.
Contract and best result
Contract: 4♠ by South.
With perfect play by everyone (double dummy) declarer takes 11 tricks: made with 1 overtrick.
Par (the best result for both sides): 3NT by South (+2), +660 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
West leads ♥7. Fourth best from my longest suit (hearts).
What does this board teach?
- Why the auction works: North-South have 11 spades and 27 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): Support for partner's spades (5 cards), 15 points including shape: raise to 4♠.
- Par is 3NT by South (+2) (+660 for North-South); the bots are at most 1 IMP away from it.
- With perfect play ♠4 was a better lead: the defence then takes 1 trick more.
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