Victory With A Smile

SOUTH
( Adams )

1 [Club]
2 [Heart]
2 N.T.
PASS

WEST
(Schenken)

PASS
PASS
PASS
PASS

NORTH
(Erdos)

1 [Heart]
2 [Spade]
3 N.T.

This fishing expedition for a three no-trump contract was reasonably safe; if South had had four spades, chances were he'd have bid one spade over the one-heart response. Adams' heart raise, far from getting his side into the heart game, actually helped in reaching the no-trump contract. I do not especially recommend that immediate raise, but it is the Erdos-Adams style to raise partner's major on any three trumps, and the fact that Adams' three were the smallest in the pack did not deter him.

West opened the spade 3, which did not help declarer a bit. But the no-trump game contract was impregnable, with nine tricks on top (five clubs, two spades, one heart and one diamond). Los Angeles gained 600 at this table, plus another 100 at the other, for a total swing of 700 worth 13 IMPs