No Trump is Not the Answer
|
 Q 7 |
|
 2 |
|
 10 8 6 4 3 |
|
 A K 6 5 4 |
| J 9 8 |
|
A 5 4 |
| 10 7 6 |
|
K 9 5 4 |
| A J 7 5 |
|
K Q 2 |
| Q 10 9 |
|
8 3 2 |
|
K 10 6 3 2 |
|
|
A Q J 8 3 |
|
|
9 |
|
|
J 7 |
|
| West | North | East | South |
|
|
|
1 |
| Pass |
2 |
Pass |
2 |
| Pass |
3 |
Pass |
3 |
| Pass |
3 NT |
All |
pass |
No trump is not the answer to a misfit. Well, not if you're significantly shy of 26 hcp's. If anything, you'll probably be getting into hotter water, especially if you're continually raising the level of the bid. Now, the key word here is "answer". If you're not in trouble, if you've got the tickets for another bid, in short, if you've got about 26 hcp's, then I'd want to get to 3 no myself. It may not be pretty, but you've probably as much chance for 9 tricks as the opponents have for 5 on their 14 hcp's, and perhaps a better chance. Here, I'm saying no trump won't solve your difficulty when you don't have the strength for the 3 level, and the bidding -- misfit and all -- should have been dropped much sooner.
How much sooner? Well, I'd look at the hands and point to the first person to have overbid his strength and find: it's North's first bid! He has 9 hcp's and should not go to the 2 level. One spade, one no, two hearts. Now is there any doubt about what to do? You can see that there is no fit shaping up and even if you're on the strong side for your 1 no bid, you've got to show simple preference, say 2 spades and shut up.
With a bit of luck in a 3-3 spade split, you would seem to be fated to lose a diamond, two spades, and two hearts, I would say, for a positive score! You might note that the participants here did it to themselves. The opponents didn't say "Boo!" Game on 20 hcp's? They just couldn't stop themselves.