Todays hand comes from Leslie Dodds. Most players connection will be with the Dodds discarding system (don't play it), but he was a pioneer of the Acol bidding system, more importantly he was a member of the 1955 team for GB that for the only time won the Bermuda bowl. Any way on to the deal. With extravagant bidding from both sides you find yourself in 4♥ - yikes. the opening lead was the 2♦ After three Tricks Dodds was in hand. What it comes down is the K♥ and Dodds analysed that the only holding South could have is a singleton K♥ and so he played the A♥ making his contract.

I was amazed to see 3NT bid by three pairs. I assume that North opened 1NT and South invited. It can't be right to invite on 10HCP but who can argue with success. On a normal heart lead from East, North is doomed to failure, unless you are Ely Culbertson who won the first trick with the A♥ not the Q♥.  When the Q♦  is run and East wins he returns a heart to partner's Q♥. Oh no partner doesn't have the Q♥ that cunning North has dupped the defence and now wins and is home. It's a play that occurs more often than you would think.

Here is the hand of the session. Surely you have to find a slam, and to me the way there is to play 2NT opposite an opening of 1♥ as game forcing. A  2♣ opening with the South hand is a possibility but to me I hate this as you make it almost impossible to bring in the second suit. Once in a blue moon you will be passed out, but its a risk worth taking. 3♦  opposite 2NT is constructive and shows a suit, and after that a series of cue bids should find you the way to the promised land.

One of the greatest pleasures in this game is bidding slams, yet this one eluded all three tables. The first decision arrives with openers re-bid. The bidding panel were split between 2♠  and 3♣ . In my view 3♣  is an overbid and there will be no stopping East now. 2♠ shows the 6th spade and gives you more room. When East shows he has strength in reserve with 3♠, West has heard enough and rolls out the old black. Whichever route you choose, the end result is the same, it's just a question of who asks for Aces.

We are now into week two - Friday 2nd August. If you didn't play on the 19th July and need help loading the scoring app on your device, we need to know.