Drury-Cohen

Both Vul
IMPs
Dealer: West
Lead: 8

	Maestro 7 6 4 A K J Q J 9 10 9 7 2
dr.j K J 5 10 5 8 7 4 3 2 J 8 5		lehicks 10 9 3 7 3 A K 10 6 5 Q 4 3
	bossman A Q 8 2 Q 9 8 6 4 2 — A K 6

West Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass

North Pass 3 4 4NT 6

East Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass

South 1 4 4 5NT Pass

Today’s “conversation” reminds me of the joke about the two half-deaf old ladies chatting at the supermarket. “Are you thirsty?” “No, it’s Tuesday.” And so on.

Gee is North today, and properly passes his dead flat bad 11, leaving his partner to open 1H fourth-hand. The STCP™ might consider Drury here, leaving some bidding room below game to explore slam if partner has a powerful hand. Gee, however, playing the Drury-Cohen treatment, jumps to 3H instead.

South cues clubs, and Gee, with nothing to cue and a minimum, signs off in 4H. South should pass this, but instead he cues 4S. He has fallen in love with his hand and visions of slam dance in his head. He imagines a North hand like Kx KJxx Jxxx Qxx, on which 6H is almost cold. He neglects to imagine a North hand like Jxx AJxx K10x 10xx, on which 5H is likely down and even 4H is not cold.

Gee, who never met a cue bid over game he didn’t like, forgets all of a sudden that he’s already bid his minimum and launches into Blackwood. 5NT appears to be some sort of Voidwood reply; not that it matters, as 6H has become inevitable.

This contract looks hopeless at first glance, but there are several chances. If we assume that the SK is onside and that either trump or spades break, declarer can play for the double finesse in clubs, hoping to pin the 8 in the West hand. This gives 6H a 2% chance minimum, maybe 3%. On the actual layout, of course, it’s down 2, but that’s hindsight.

A standard reverse Drury auction would give South room to cue clubs and spades and still sign off in 4H. This does not pass unnoticed by the spectators, one of whom asks Gee why he didn’t bid Drury. “Not on this,” says Gee. “If not on this on what?” he asks. “Not with all the top honors!” Gee replies. Of course. The Cohen treatment.