| West | North | East | South |
| 2♦(1) | 2♥ | 3NT | |
| All Pass |
(1) A disciplined weak two-bid in a major suit.
From his days as a Junior player, Geoff Hampson has displayed a real flair for the game. Check him out on this deal from a practice match in the early Nineties against a squad of national champions. Hampson was South.
The opening lead was the ♥J, taken by Hampson with the ace. Hampson then cashed the ♣A, stopping to think when his right-hand opponent showed out. Hampson had an easy nine tricks by playing four rounds of clubs to establish the suit, but he found a foolproof way to make an overtrick.
At trick three, Hampson led the ♠K, overtaking in dummy with the ace, followed by a slow spade. When East followed with the ♠Q, Hampson discarded the ♥K!
East returned a heart, allowing Hampson to take five spade tricks, two hearts and three clubs. Had East returned a diamond, Hampson would have scored two overtricks. For his trouble, Hampson’s team earned 12 IMPs – the world champions at the other table went off one in 4♠.
The full deal: