Board of the day, solved: 5 November 2026
The bots bid UK Acol (weak no trump). Below the auction, every call is explained.
The four hands
North 11 points
- ♠ J 8 5
- ♥ Q J 3
- ♦ K 6 5 4
- ♣ K J 7
West 6 points
- ♠ A 10 7 2
- ♥ 7 6 4 2
- ♦ 10 7
- ♣ Q 10 5
East 7 points
- ♠ K 9 6
- ♥ A 9 8 5
- ♦ 8 2
- ♣ 9 8 4 3
South 16 points
- ♠ Q 4 3
- ♥ K 10
- ♦ A Q J 9 3
- ♣ A 6 2
The auction
| West | North | East | South |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass | Pass | 1♦ | |
| Pass | 3♦ | Pass | 3NT |
| Pass | Pass | Pass |
Every call explained
- North: Pass – Not enough to open (11 points).
- East: Pass – Not enough to open (7 points).
- South: 1♦ – Opening strength (16 points), 5 diamonds.
- West: Pass – No suitable overcall or double.
- North: 3♦ – Support in diamonds, 11 points: 3♦.
- East: Pass – No suitable overcall or double.
- South: 3NT – Invitation accepted with 16 points.
- West: Pass – No suitable overcall or double.
- North: Pass – About 25 points together; I stop here.
- East: Pass – No suitable overcall or double.
Contract and best result
Contract: 3NT by South.
With perfect play by everyone (double dummy) declarer takes 9 tricks: made exactly.
Par (the best result for both sides): 3NT by North-South, +400 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 ♠2. Fourth best from my longest suit (spades).
What does this board teach?
- Why the auction works: North-South have 27 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 3NT (South): Invitation accepted with 16 points.
- 3NT by South is also par: the best result for both sides.
- The lead of ♠2 is one of the best with perfect play: another lead can cost a trick.
Want to play yourself? Every day there are eight new boards, the same for everyone. Today's boards