Board of the day, solved: 27 October 2026
The bots bid UK Acol (weak no trump). Below the auction, every call is explained.
The four hands
North 13 points
- ♠ A 8 3
- ♥ J 3 2
- ♦ K Q 10 4 2
- ♣ K 5
West 9 points
- ♠ Q 9 7 2
- ♥ K 10 9 8 7
- ♦ 6 3
- ♣ A 2
East 6 points
- ♠ K J 5
- ♥ 6 4
- ♦ J 7 5
- ♣ J 10 9 4 3
South 12 points
- ♠ 10 6 4
- ♥ A Q 5
- ♦ A 9 8
- ♣ Q 8 7 6
The auction
| West | North | East | South |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1NT | Pass | 2NT | |
| Pass | 3NT | Pass | Pass |
| Pass |
Every call explained
- North: 1NT – Balanced, 12–14 points (I have 13).
- East: Pass – No suitable overcall or double.
- South: 2NT – Invitation with 11–12 points.
- West: Pass – No suitable overcall or double.
- North: 3NT – Maximum (13): invitation accepted.
- East: Pass – No suitable overcall or double.
- South: Pass – About 26 points together; I stop here.
- West: Pass – No suitable overcall or double.
Contract and best result
Contract: 3NT by North.
With perfect play by everyone (double dummy) declarer takes 9 tricks: made exactly.
Par (the best result for both sides): 3NT by North-South, +600 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 ♣J. Top of a sequence in clubs.
What does this board teach?
- Why the auction works: North-South have 25 points between them and no eight-card major fit, so no trumps. That is enough for game (rule of thumb: 25 points together, or a little less with a good fit). The key call is 2NT (South): 2NT: invitation with 11–12 points.
- 3NT by North is also par: the best result for both sides.
- On this board the lead does not matter with perfect play: every card gives the same result.
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