Bridge

Bidding styles change like fashion, but modern experts are more active than players of bygone eras. They willingly open light, shapely hands with more trick-taking power than defensive values.

In the Senior Teams at the ACBL Summer Championships, long-time champion Karen Allison opened one spade as South. She had only nine high-card points, but potential winners and two first-round controls. North's four diamonds showed a spade fit and diamond shortness, and after Allison cue-bid four hearts, North-South sniffed about for a grand slam.

DIAMOND RUFF

Allison ruffed the diamond lead in dummy and pitched hearts on the A-K of clubs. When West's queen fell, South came to the ace of hearts, ruffed a diamond in dummy, took the ace of trumps and got rid of her last diamond on the jack of clubs. Making seven. In the replay, South opened three spades, and North declined to try for slam.

Allison and Mike Ledeen won the event, teaming with Lea Dupont and the legendary Benito Garozzo.

DAILY QUESTION

You hold: S 10 4 H K D A Q 8 7 6 5 C 8 7 6 4. Your partner opens 1NT. The next player passes. What do you say?

ANSWER: Take a deep breath and bid 3NT. Then table the dummy and ask partner to make it. You hope your diamonds will produce six tricks, and the cheaper nine-trick game will be more likely to succeed. With 10 4, 2, A Q 8 7 6 5, K 7 6 4, you'd have an excuse to look for game at a minor suit.

South dealer

N-S vulnerable

NORTH

S A 3 2