Pierre Zimmermann, captain of the hugely successful Monaco team, plays with Franck Multon and they are probably the best sponsor/professional partnership in the world. Franck occasionally partners a somewhat less gifted lady who, after he opened a minor, bid 3NT. He put dummy down and left the table. When he returned, she had gone one down and he informed her that her bidding was totally wrong and that if she ever bid 3NT over his suit opening again he would leave and not return! Sometime later she was playing with another world-class partner who, when she opened 1♦, immediately jumped to 3NT. ‘You should NEVER make that bid,’ she admonished him. ‘It is totally wrong. Franck Multon told me that himself!’

Franck, of course, is a superstar and very quick — look at this defence he found in a team’s tournament in Monaco.

Franck was sitting East, and his partner led a small Heart. Declarer ducked two rounds of the suit, and on the third Franck had to make a discard.

We can see that declarer needs to establish his Clubs and, as he can’t afford to let West in, South is obliged to play East for A Q or A J doubleton, ducking the Clubs to him, the ‘safe hand’, twice. Multon not only realised this at the table, but he also found the antidote — on the third round of Hearts he discarded the Ace of Clubs! There was no way home for South, and he eventually had to concede one down.

Merry Christmas everyone, and may all your contracts come home!