Tutorial hand for
Omar Sharif On Bridge
 49
 45
 43
 39
 38
 32
 30
 27
 25
 12
 9
 3
 1
 52
 47
 41
 36
 31
 24
 19
 17
 15
 11
 8
 7
 5
 50
 44
 42
 40
 29
 26
 23
 22
 21
 16
 14
 13
 2
 51
 48
 46
 37
 35
 34
 33
 28
 20
 18
 10
 6
 4
 0
 2
 2
 2
 2
 0
 0
 1
 4
 2
 13
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 2
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 11
 2
Answer:  1 diamond\n\nExplanation:  Though you have only 11 high card points with this distributional hand, you can add 1
point for the doubleton club and 2 points for the singleton heart as long as you bid in a suit.  Now you 
have a total of 14 points, which is more than enough for the 13 required points to open the bidding.  With 
a distributional hand you should bid in your longest suit, which is diamonds.

What should North bid?

 0

 3
Answer:  1 heart\n\nExplanation:  You have a strong hand with 14 high card points, but your one diamond card is not very
much to want to continue this hand in diamonds.  If your partner has some heart support, 4h is the likely
destination. However, it is quite possible that this hand should be played in 3NT, 5c, or even 5d; so you
should explore before choosing a game contract.  By bidding 1 heart, you are asking your partner to support
hearts if he can. Otherwise, you are asking him to make another bid to describe his hand.

What should South bid?

 0

 4
Answer:  1 spade\n\nExplanation:  By bidding 1 spade you are showing a distributional hand with both diamonds and spades
and a lack of support in the other two suits.

What should North bid?

 0

 15
Answer:  3NT\n\nExplanation:  You have shown your hearts and partner has shown diamonds and spades leaving your team
without any particularly strong suit.  Bidding in no trump is the only reasonable thing to do, and with 
your 26 combined high card points, a level 3 bid is appropriate.

What should South bid?

 0

 0

 0

-3
 
 11
 15
 15
-1
 0
 0
 52
 0
 52
 5

 2
Answer:  3c\n\nExplanation:  You will need the Ac as an entry for the diamonds later, so you must win the first trick with South's hand.

What should North play?

 10

 12

 25

 15

 26
Answer:  Ad\n\nExplanation:  You must recognize that you need only 5 tricks in diamonds in total to make your contract.  In other
words, you can afford to lose 1 diamond trick providing that this establishes the suit while you still have 
the Ac as an entry.

What should North play?

 18

 23
Answer:  Jd, Td, or 9d (we use Jd)\n\nExplanation:  You use the Jd, Td, or 9d to knock out the Qd.  In this way, you will make 5 diamond tricks
whenever the defenders' diamonds are divided 3-3, 4-2, or when either opponent has a singleton Qd.  
East/West has only 2 spades tricks to cash in from here no matter what they play, so the rest of the tricks 
will be yours as long as you do not forget to get to North's dummy hand with the Ac, and then to take all 
those remaining diamond winners.

What should North play?

 20

 1

 24

 52

 40

 46

 43

 41

 42

 51

 45

 35

 38

 31

 29

 3

 7

 13

 4

 22

 48

 27

 17

 21

 6

 30

 19

 16

 28

 32

 47

 14

 33

 9

 36

 44

 34

 49

 8

 39

 11

 50

 37

 3
 10
 1
 0
 1
 0
You make the contract of 3NT with 1 overtrick. This gives you 30 points above the
line for the overtrick and 100 points below the line and game for making your contract.

