With four deals left in the Soloway Teams final at the Fall NABC, Marty FLEISHER’s favored squad trailed a Cinderella French foursome, MESSIKA, by 10 IMPs. (Earlier, a FLEISHER pair had gone down unluckily in an odds-on grand slam.)

In today’s deal, South for MESSIKA opened one diamond. That wouldn’t have occurred to me with a junky assortment of high cards, but many players open with less. West bided his time.

A principle that has served me well: If you don’t have anything, don’t bid. But North responded one heart with three jacks, and when South rebid 1NT, West took a chance and doubled. He caught East — not North — with a decent hand, and the rout was on. Though West led a diamond, the defense won nine tricks, plus 500.

North-South’s indelicate bidding should not have cost much; in the replay, East-West for MESSIKA bid 3NT. That contract was makeable, but it seems that declarer lost his way and was minus 50.

FLEISHER gained 11 IMPs and took the lead by one IMP. They gained one more IMP on the next board, and the final two deals were tied.

Daily question: You hold: ? K 10 5 ? Q 9 7 4 ? 10 9 ? A 6 5 3. Your partner opens one diamond, you respond one heart, he bids one spade and you try 1NT. Partner then bids two clubs. What do you say?

Answer: Partner has 4-1-4-4 or 4-0-5-4 distribution but doesn’t promise extra strength. He is probably looking for a partscore contract that will produce a plus score. Pass. But with a perfectly-fitting maximum hand such as K 10 5, 9 8 7 4, Q 9, A J 6 3, a raise to three clubs would be correct.

South dealer

Neither side vulnerable

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