Board of the day, solved: 1 November 2026
The bots bid UK Acol (weak no trump). Below the auction, every call is explained.
The four hands
North 10 points
- ♠ Q 2
- ♥ Q J 9 4 2
- ♦ K Q 4 3
- ♣ 7 3
West 9 points
- ♠ K 9 5 4
- ♥ 6 5 3
- ♦ A J 10
- ♣ J 6 4
East 16 points
- ♠ A J 8 7 3
- ♥ A K 8
- ♦ 9 8
- ♣ A 10 9
South 5 points
- ♠ 10 6
- ♥ 10 7
- ♦ 7 6 5 2
- ♣ K Q 8 5 2
The auction
| West | North | East | South |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass | Pass | 1♠ | Pass |
| 2♠ | Pass | 3♠ | Pass |
| 4♠ | Pass | Pass | Pass |
Every call explained
- West: Pass – Not enough to open (9 points).
- North: Pass – Not enough to open (10 points).
- East: 1♠ – Opening strength (16 points), 5 spades.
- South: Pass – No suitable overcall or double.
- West: 2♠ – Support for partner's spades (4 cards), 9 points including shape: raise to 2♠.
- North: Pass – No suitable overcall or double.
- East: 3♠ – Invitation: 16–18 points.
- South: Pass – No suitable overcall or double.
- West: 4♠ – Partner invites; with 9 points (shape counted) I am at the top of my raise (6–9): game in spades.
- North: Pass – No suitable overcall or double.
- East: Pass – About 23 points together; I stop here.
- South: Pass – No suitable overcall or double.
Contract and best result
Contract: 4♠ by East.
With perfect play by everyone (double dummy) declarer takes 10 tricks: made exactly.
Par (the best result for both sides): 3NT by West (+1), +430 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 ♣K. Top of a sequence in clubs.
What does this board teach?
- Why the auction works: East-West have 9 spades 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 2♠ (West): Support for partner's spades (4 cards), 9 points including shape: raise to 2♠.
- Par is 3NT by West (+1) (+430 for East-West); the bots are at most 1 IMP away from it.
- With perfect play ♠10 was a better lead: the defence then takes 1 trick more.
Want to play yourself? Every day there are eight new boards, the same for everyone. Today's boards