Higher, Faster, Stronger
By Mark Horton In 1st IMSA World Masters Championships On 15th May 2019
As the standard for an opening bid appears to be falling faster the stock market, it has become safer to adopt a more variable approach to third in hand preemptive bids and weak jump overcalls.
On this deal from Round 3 you can contrast the different approach of the West players in the match between Poland and England:
West led the A and when East followed with the queen she continued with the ]8, a grateful declarer ruffing, drawing trumps and cashing the clubs, +620.
Given that East had supported hearts there was no chance that a second round of the suit would stand up, but does that make it easier for West to switch to a diamond?
Here, if N/S had reached 4 (which they would have done if South had overcalled 3) East might have followed to a top heart with the jack. Even so, it would not be easy for West to find the killing switch.
East led the Q and when West followed with the four (why not the ]2?) she switched to the 3, so declarer took ten tricks, but Sweden lost 10 IMPs.