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Support or preference?

When a player has bid two suits, he is asking his partner to give a preference. Frequently the partner will be choosing the lesser of two evils with no great enthusiasm. A preference bid must not be confused with genuine support.

 

South Deals
N-S Vul
♠ 7 2
7 3
K Q 8 7 6
♣ J 9 5 4
♠ J 9 8 4
J 9
A 10 9 3
♣ K Q 3
N
W   E
S
♠ Q 10
K 10 5 2
J 5 2
♣ A 10 8 2
  ♠ A K 6 5 3
A Q 8 6 4
4
♣ 7 6
West North East South
      1 ♠
Pass 1 N Pass 2
Pass 2 ♠ Pass 3 ♠
Pass Pass Pass
3 ♠ by South

 

South, believing that his partner held genuine ♠ support - three cards - invited game with 3♠. This was an error. North was merely giving preference back to South’s first choice trump suit, holding equal length
.
3♠ was not a happy contract. West led ♣K then switched accurately to ♠4, trying to remove dummy’s trumps so that declarer could not trump s. Declarer won East’s ♠Q with ♠K and led 4. West rose with A, cashed ♣Q and led ♣3, to dummy’s ♣9, East’s ♣10 and declarer trumped. He now cashed ♠A and led a third ♠ hoping for an even split. Not so - West won ♠9, cashed ♠J, drawing declarer’s last trump (East discarding 5 and J), then switched to J. This ran to declarer’s Q; he cashed A and exited with 4. East won 10, cashed K and his last card was ♣A. Declarer had scored just three trump tricks and AQ - down four.

ANDREW’S TIP: Do not confuse genuine support with mere preference.

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