Board of the day, solved: 25 October 2026
The bots bid UK Acol (weak no trump). Below the auction, every call is explained.
The four hands
North 14 points
- ♠ 8
- ♥ K 10 6
- ♦ A K Q 10 7
- ♣ Q 8 4 3
West 12 points
- ♠ K 10 9 4
- ♥ A 9 4 3 2
- ♦ J 5 4
- ♣ A
East 10 points
- ♠ A Q 7 6 5 2
- ♥ J
- ♦ 9 2
- ♣ K 7 6 2
South 4 points
- ♠ J 3
- ♥ Q 8 7 5
- ♦ 8 6 3
- ♣ J 10 9 5
The auction
| West | North | East | South |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1♥ | 2♦ | 2♠ | Pass |
| 3♠ | Pass | 4♠ | Pass |
| Pass | Pass |
Every call explained
- West: 1♥ – Opening strength (12 points), 5 hearts.
- North: 2♦ – Overcall: 5 diamonds, 14 points.
- East: 2♠ – New suit at the two level: 6 spades, 9+ points.
- South: Pass – No support and few points.
- West: 3♠ – Support for partner's spades (4 cards).
- North: Pass – My earlier bid already described my hand; I have nothing extra to show.
- East: 4♠ – Game: about 27 points together with a spade fit.
- South: Pass – No support and few points.
- West: Pass – About 25 points together; I stop here.
- North: Pass – My earlier bid already described my hand; I have nothing extra to show.
Contract and best result
Contract: 4♠ by East.
With perfect play by everyone (double dummy) declarer takes 11 tricks: made with 1 overtrick.
Par (the best result for both sides): 4♠ by East-West (+1), +650 for East-West.
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
South leads ♦3. Leading partner's suit (diamonds).
What does this board teach?
- Why the auction works: East-West have 10 spades and 22 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 3♠ (West): Support for partner's spades (4 cards).
- 4♠ by East is also par: the best result for both sides.
- The lead of ♦3 is one of the best with perfect play: another lead can cost a trick.
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