Board of the day, solved: 24 October 2026
The bots bid UK Acol (weak no trump). Below the auction, every call is explained.
The four hands
North 11 points
- ♠ 9 3
- ♥ A Q
- ♦ Q J 7 5 4
- ♣ Q 10 3 2
West 3 points
- ♠ K 10 8 2
- ♥ 8 7 6
- ♦ 9 3 2
- ♣ 9 7 4
East 8 points
- ♠ Q 7 6 5 4
- ♥ K 5 4 3
- ♦ 10 8
- ♣ K 8
South 18 points
- ♠ A J
- ♥ J 10 9 2
- ♦ A K 6
- ♣ A J 6 5
The auction
| West | North | East | South |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1♦ | 1♠ | X | |
| Pass | 2♣ | Pass | 4NT |
| Pass | 5♦ | Pass | 6♣ |
| Pass | Pass | Pass |
Every call explained
- North: 1♦ – Opening strength (11 points), 5 diamonds.
- East: 1♠ – Overcall: 5 spades, 8 points.
- South: Double – Negative double: 18 points and four hearts; not for penalties.
- West: Pass – No support and few points.
- North: 2♣ – My second suit: clubs.
- East: Pass – My earlier bid already described my hand; I have nothing extra to show.
- South: 4NT – Blackwood: about 33 points together with a club fit; asking for aces.
- West: Pass – No support and few points.
- North: 5♦ – Reply to Blackwood: 1 ace.
- East: Pass – My earlier bid already described my hand; I have nothing extra to show.
- South: 6♣ – 4 aces together: small slam.
- West: Pass – No support and few points.
- North: Pass – Partner asked for aces and then chose the contract; I pass.
- East: Pass – My earlier bid already described my hand; I have nothing extra to show.
Contract and best result
Contract: 6♣ by North.
With perfect play by everyone (double dummy) declarer takes 12 tricks: made exactly.
Par (the best result for both sides): 6♣ by North-South, +920 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 ♠5. Fourth best from my longest suit (spades).
What does this board teach?
- Why the auction works: North-South have 8 clubs and 29 points between them. That is enough for slam (rule of thumb: 33 points together, or less with a strong fit and controls). The key call is 6♣ (South): 4 aces together: small slam.
- 6♣ by North is also par: the best result for both sides.
- The lead of ♠5 is one of the best with perfect play: another lead can cost a trick.
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