Author Archives: Julian Foster

On this hand from a recent duplicate East had an extraordinary 9400 shape. But at one table there was another most unusual scenario where declarer could have made literally any number of tricks and it made no difference to the … Continue reading →

A splinter is a bid showing shortage in one suit while agreeing another. It is a very descriptive bid and often helps evaluate whether two hands fit together well or not. This hand from a recent pairs duplicate session was … Continue reading →

This hand is taken from a recent duplicate pairs session and shows how the vulnerability can make such a huge difference at that scoring format. South opened 1♣ and West overcalled 1♠. Although some might frown at overcalling with only … Continue reading →

This hand is taken from the SBC Harmony Park Swiss Pairs congress played on 14 February 2026 (match 4). Every pair except one played 3NT by South – most commonly after a simple auction 1NT (15-17) 3NT. Every West led … Continue reading →

This hand came up in a recent online club duplicate session. The auction started normally but then livened up somewhat! South opened the normal 1♠ and West overcalled 2♦. North raised to 2♠ (more on that below) and East bid … Continue reading →