What should East open? The choice is between 1 S & 3S.In either case North should double at his turn to bid - prempts are meant to make it difficult for opponents but North has a good hand opposite any reply from South. 4 Hearts makes with the two black aces & 8 tricks on a cross ruff. Even if the doble of 3S is left in best defence holds East to 7 tricks for -500.

On the night the hand was played 10 times. Two Norths finished in the impossible contracts of 4C & 4D* the other 8 all played in spades with one lucky player, who passed as East, being allowed to play in 2Spades  Moral - contest a pre-empt if at all possible.

East has a problem with 21 points & no sensible stong opening bid. We advise opening 1Club hoping this is not going to be passed out. You are delighted that partner bids 1 Spade. Your hand is now immense with the perfect fit in the trump suit. Both 3S & 4S are underbids so 4NT is our recommendation. On the one Ace response the slam is bid. 12 tricks are always there.

On the night the board was played 10 times but nobody bid the slam although 9 pairs made either 12 or 13 tricks

I think West with 12 points, good fillers (10,8 clubs, 9 hearts) & a 5 card minor suit should upgrade his hand by a point & bid 3 NT. On the normal 3S lead E captures with the K & now has 8 tricks (5D,2C,1S). An immediate 4 Spade return establishes the 10S for the ninth trick.

On the night the board was played 10 times.Only two people bid 3NT the rest languishing in 2NT nearly always making 9 tricks.

West is too good to open 3 Diamonds with 10 points so should open 1 Diamond. North with 8 excellent Spades should blast 4 Spades and poor East with 15 points is shell shocked. The best bid by East is double, 5 Hearts would be doubled with enthusiasm by South! West can then sign off in 5 Diamonds which will make 11 tricks losing only the Ace of Spades and King of Diamonds for 600 to East /West, if North presses on with 5 Spades, doubled of course 3 down this will gain 800 for East/West.

On the night the Board was played 10 times with 4 pairs bidding and making 5 Diamonds, 2 of them doubled for 750! Spades by North only made 8 tricks, not always doubled and Hearts by East, doubled by South of course, was disastrous.

After North opens 1 Club South should jump to 2 Hearts to show 16+ points and a good suit. North replies 2 Spades showing 5 Clubs and 4 Spades, South finds North with 2 Aces (5H) and bids 6NT. Hearing South bid Hearts strongly West should not lead a Heart, West has 2 potential tricks in that suit. Not usually recommended but 3 of Diamonds or a Club is the least damaging lead for the defence.

South has 11 tricks from the start, Ace & King of Spades, Hearts and Diamonds plus 5 Club tricks. There are 2 possibilities for the 12th trick, a Heart finesse, 50% or finding East with Queen of Spades 50% but this combined with Spades breaking 3:3, 66% this is the better percentage play, If the Spade situation fails you can always fall back on the Heart finesse. After winning Ace of Diamonds at trick 1 South shoul immediately lead 5 of Spades, take the trick with the Ace in North hand and lead 3 of Spades towards Jack in South hand. All East can do is take the Queen and now the Jack of Spades is set up for the 12th trick. Both Heart finesses fail with Q1072 offside.

On the night the Board was played 10 times. The slam was bid 6 times but made only once. Only 4 pairs made 12 (or 13!) tricks.

Only a maverick North would open with only 11 points, a singleton Ace and 4:4:1:4 distribution, not recommended. South with 22 points opens 2 Spades, North shows positive by bidding 3S (bigger than going 4S), South checks on Aces (1) and Kings (1) and bids the safe 6 Spades. If North had shown 2 Kings South might well have bid the Grand Slam! The play is straightforward, all South has to do to make 13 tricks is to ruff 1 Diamond in the North hand making 5 Spades, 4 Hearts, Diamond Ace and 1 Diamond ruff and Ace of Clubs discarding the final diamond on the \king of Clubs.

On the night the Board was played 10 times but only 2 pairs bid the small slam, however 8 out of the 10 pairs did make 13 tricks.

After North has opened 1NT, East and South passing, West with 16 points will Double. East with only 2 points should rescue by bidding 2 Clubs, lowest 4 card suit, and South knowing their side has the balance of points should Double. West will Pass knowing this is their best fit. In 2 Clubs doubled West will lose 2 Spades, 2 Hearts, 2 Diamonds and 1 Club for minus 300. 1NT Doubled will always make 7 or even 8 tricks for 180 or 380. A part score in Diamonds for N/S will make 9 or 10 tricks for 110 or 130.

On the night the Board was played 14 times. 1NT was Doubled 4 times and always made, part score in Diamonds made 5 times, 1NT undoubled made 3 times, the other 2 scores were 2NT going down by 1 trick, and 2 Hearts by N/S making 8 tricks for 110.

However we consider that you should always double 1NT with 16 or more points, occasionally the contract will make, that's Bridge!

East with 15 points will open 1 Club and after a 1 Diamond response from West will ignore his poor Spade suit and rebid 1NT. West duly raises to game in 3NT knowing there tpo be a combined point count of 25 or 26. (If West had held 4 Spades and 10+ points he would have raised to 3 Spades, forcing, so a Spade fit would not be missed).

Soiuth has an awkward lead as Clubs, South's only 4 card suit would give a trick. Diamonds have been called, South does not wish to lead from AQ9 of Spades, so choses to lead 4 of Hearts. East will take Heart King, cash Ace of Diamonds, and lead 7 Diamonds playing 3 from dummy. North (or South) will play a second Heart which should be ducked, and the return won with the Ace in dummy, King of diamonds is played, followed by the established 8 and 5. This gives South 2 awkward discards! West will lead a Club to the Jack, losing to the Queen, but South who has had to discard either 2 Spades, 2 Clubs, or 1 of each can now only return a black card. A Club return will give declarer 4 tricks in that suit, or a Spade will set up the King in dummy. East will make 9 or 10 tricks, 2 Hearts, 4 Diamonds and either 1 Spade and 2 Clubs or no Spades and 4 Clubs depending on South's discards on the Diamonds.

On the night the Board was played 14 times and 3NT only made twice, 3NT went down 7 times making 6 to 8 tricks, and part scores in Clubs or Spades made the other 5 times.