The 3NT Opener

Like London buses, when you are about to give up all hope of ever seeing one again, several come along at once. If recent experience is anything to go by, the same applies to three no-trump openers. This rare bird has any number of variants but the usual treatment is to play it as a solid seven card minor with nothing outside.

  • 96
  • 643
  • AKQJ942
  • 9
N
W
E
S
  • AQJ5
  • A8
  • 3
  • AK10643
3NT7♦

Well, you can't say ours was a long auction - West had an unimpeachable example of the bid. It was an easy matter to ruff down the clubs - South held ♣QJx. The surprise was not that the grand slam wasn't bid elsewhere but all those in 6♦ made just twelve tricks – not a single +1390 on the traveller…

One benefit in bidding seven was that the defence would start passively; on a traditional trump lead declarer can draw four rounds and then play clubs with both major aces intact and the spade finesse as last resort. But in 6♦ after a heart lead more care is needed. Studiously ducking the first trick to avoid the complications of trump switch is possible but after a heart continuation you must cash two clubs, spade ace, ruff a spade, ruff a heart and ruff a spade to dummy. If everything breaks so nicely you're favourite to bring in the clubs – at pairs I'd try to play for all the tricks.

That was from Ipswich and Kesgrave and the very next week I faced this opening lead problem; dealer opened three no-trumps, all passed and I held:

It is clear to lead one of the aces – lest declarer cash nine tricks - but which one? It seemed to me that I was more likely to damage partner's holding by leading my long suit (her short) so I tried a spade but neither was successful, the opponents hands being:

  • K762
  • AJ765
  • Q8
  • 93
N
W
E
S
  • 98
  • 4
  • K2
  • AKQ108542

When an opening is rare it is likely to get distorted and this was a case in point. With extra playing strength in the eighth club and the diamond king outside, it makes it much harder to hit what is a very small target. If the opponents are able to compete you'll be in a quandary whether to bid on and partner will seldom know when to pass. Here East was lucky that partner had just enough to take a chance.

Last is a hand that was scribbled on a scrap of paper and handed to me last week:

  • KQJ1098
  • 87
  • 64
  • 962
N
W
E
S
  • 642
  • none
  • AKQ9872
  • A105

East opened three no-trumps and West didn't have a clue what was opposite. So he took a shot at six spades. The opponents led a top heart and dummy was a surprise exceeded only by the realisation the contract had some sort of play. After ruffing declarer led to a top trump taken by the ace – if they could have ducked they should have but it was singleton. Now a heart is the most challenging defence but diamonds were 2-2 so there was a route back to hand ruffing the third round to draw trumps. Maybe we purists have to take virtue as our reward.

Published Saturday 13.Jan.2007