Tx is a stopper

[bb79]

This was one of the most interesting deals for me from the vanderbilt. Board 58 of vanderbilt final:

http://tinyurl.com/ykeg9d2

 

Thomas Bessis, whose team was 24 imps behind at the start of final quarter, bid 3nt looking for a swing with TX in opponent's ♠ suit, and confused the defense, at trick 5 Stansby returned a low spade, probably assuming T.Bessis started with ♠AT ! That unfortunately blocked the spades, and 3nt made for 12 imps.

[Free]

That's what you get if you're allowed to overcall V with J8643...

[Phil]

That's what you get if you're allowed to overcall V with J8643...

Or if you are allowed to lead a low spade from this holding. :lol:

[MFA]

That's what you get if you're allowed to overcall V with J8643...

Or if you are allowed to lead a low spade from this holding. :lol:

Or if you don't play any sort of signals to sort things out later. -_-

[kfay]

bid 3nt looking for a swing with TX in opponent's ♠ suit

More likely he realized that they were just as likely to make 3NT as 3♦.

[karlson]

I think kfay more or less has it right. He got himself stuck in a corner with the unusual 1♦ response, followed by a double (probably great if partner can pass, but as he found out, doesn't really work out well when he can't). At that point, I bet pretty much anything he did was going to end up with him playing in diamonds unless he bid 3n now. Since diamonds were probably going to be a terrible strain, he had no choice but to gamble on 3n.

 

So all the gushing about the daring 3n bid seems a little weird to me. Not to take anything away from him, he certainly played extremely well (I think the 4♥ hand from a few boards before that was quite cool).