New Ways to Lose IMPs

English international, Alan Mould sent me an email featuring a story which I hope you will enjoy.

Hackett held, with both sides vulnerable, against Bernard Goldenfield (an English Senior international):

♠ A K x ♥ A Q x x ♦ Q x ♣ x x x x

The bidding went:

West	North	East	South
1♦	2♠	Dble	2NT
3♦	4♠	4♥ (yes, 4♥)

By agreement, 2NT was an enquiry. Hackett accepted the insufficient bid and doubled it. He found it was cold! The full hands were:

	♠ Q J x x x x x ♥ x ♦ x x x ♣ K x
♠ x ♥ x x x ♦ A K 10 x x x ♣ Q J x		♠ x x ♥ K J 10 9 x ♦ J x ♣ A 10 x x
	♠ A K x ♥ A Q x x ♦ Q x ♣ x x x x

So that was –790.

You will note that 4♠ is excellent, needing a finesse through an opening bid which happens to be wrong, so you are one off. However, if Hackett had not excepted the insufficient bid, presumably East would have passed (it was a big bid by him as it was!).

Now there are lead penalties, so East leads a diamond and declarer can cover then insist on a heart lead from West round to the tenace for +620 (a club goes away from declarer’s hand on the second heart) instead of –100 or the actual –790.

Every day there are new ways found to lose IMPs!