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Board 4: West has an awkward hand: 19 hcp and about 9 tricks, but no major suit and very unbalanced. A 2C opening may work out, but it will be easy to miss 3NT on an auction such as 2C-2D; 3D-? Responder may not be willing to bid 3NT, and the King of spades may be exposed in any case. West may need an entry in partner's hand to finesse a diamond, so the simplest plan is to open 1D and rebid 3NT. This shows a "strong gambling" type hand, not a balanced one.
East responds 1S and thinks for a bit over partner's 3NT. The singleton in partner's suit isn't encouraging, and the spades are not good enough to insist on (opener may well have a singleton or void), so pass is probably safest. I think West must open 2C for the partnership to reach slam; a simple auction might be 2C-2S; 3D-3S; 4S-4NT, etc.
Everything goes right and 13 tricks roll home at spades, diamonds or notrump. Seven spades looks like a good bet but at matchpoints I'd be happy with 6S making 7. Only five pairs reached slam, all at 6D, so no reason to risk the grand slam.
Board 6: East opens 1NT and West can immediately picture slam opposite as little as xxxx Axx Kxxx Ax (perhaps conceding a club.) An old-fashioned forcing jump to 3H would be fine, or transfer and then 3C. A new suit at the three level after Stayman or a transfer is game-forcing. East can simply
confirm support with 3H, or make an "advanced cue-bid" of 3S. This will temporarily sound like no support for hearts, but East plans to bid 4H next.
A reasonable auction might run 1NT-2D; 2H-3C; 3H-4D; 4S-4NT; 5S-5NT; 6C-? 4D is clearly a slam control bid after East confirms heart support; East might bid 4NT himself if playing some form of Key Card Blackwood, but if playing simple Blackwood it's better to cue-bid the sapdes and let partner ask. 5NT confirms all the Aces and 6C denies any Kings. This allows West to count 6 trump tricks, 2 side Aces, 3 top clubs and at least one more club if the suit breaks no worse than 4-2. As one of the long suits might behave badly I'd settle for 6H, hoping to score well if partner makes seven.
South leads the King of diamonds (no point in leading a singleton when the enemy has all the Aces!) East wins and can cash one or two high trumps, pitch a diamond on the Ace of spades, and should then set up the clubs before pulling the last trump. Seven hearts won't make if clubs split worse
than 4-2, and six making seven is odds on and will be worth extra matchpoints against those declarers who pull three rounds of trump, so take a small risk by cashing the two top clubs. When both opponents follow, ruff a club high, ruff a spade back to hand, pull trumps and play clubs from the top. Even at a team game, it's better to leave one trump out -- if you pull three trumps and clubs are 5-1, you have only 11 tricks. If South ruffs the second club he's ruffing "air", and if North has one club and three hearts you were always doomed.
All but one pair reached slam, three bidding the grand; but two of those failed and four other declarers took only 12 tricks, so six making seven was worth a solid 8.5 out of 11.
Board 22: After East and South pass, West may jam the bidding with 2D, or go quietly after glancing at the unfavorable vulnerability. Over 2D, North doubles, South bids hearts and North leaps to game. If West passses, North has a borderline 2C opening -- excellent controls but not much in the
way of tricks. I'd settle for one heart. South might pass (deducting one as responder for no Ace or King), but with four trumps I think South should raise. North, of course, bids game.
On that bidding East counts partner for no only about 4-6 points, so an aggessive lead in either minor seems too risky. I'd punt with a trump; from three small this will not often blow a trick and the auction does not suggest a threating side suit in dummy. Declarer pulls trumps, cashes three spades and exits with a diamond. A club to the Queen at some point and a club ruff will produce eleven winners, good for 7.5 out of 11 matchpoints.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Sunday, December 23rd
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Board 4: North opens a maximum 1NT. East has a nice 2D overcall -- even vulnerable, it's worth bidding such a good suit. You wouldn't mind defending against two or three notrump, but at one notrump you are too likely to have to discard some of your diamonds before you can cash the rest. Many people play artificial methods these days -- 2D may show both majors (Cappaletti or Modified Cappaletti) or diamonds-plus-a-major (DONT.) So, you may have to start with a double (DONT, showing one suit) or 2C (Capp, showing a long suit, or Modified Capp, showing a long minor or major-minor two-suiter.) That makes the overcall less attractive -- N/S will have more time to sort out the hand. Still, a suit headed by AQ10 begs to be bid and it does seem better to disrupt the enemy's possible Stayman or transfer sequence. Overcalling is particularly attractive against pairs playing those horrible "Stolen Bid" doubles since they will have no way to double you for penalties.
Against a natural 2D, South has a standard 3D "Stayman" cue-bid. Those playing lebensohl with the "fast denies" agreement should bid 2NT as a puppet to 3C, then 2D to show "Stayman with a stopper." Over a DONT double, South redoubles to show the balance of strength (generally, a minimum of 23 hcp between the two hands.) Over a Cappaletti 2C, many would play double = Stayman, even if not playing Stolen Bid doubles in general. I recommend, however, that doubles of artificial bids show points (8+ balanced) rather than showing or asking for any particular distribution. This puts our side in good position to double any misfit for penalties.
Assuming a simple 1NT-(2D)-3D sequence, North bids 3H and South raises to game. East assumes 25+ hcp for N/S, leaving six or less for partner. This makes it unattractive to try and find a helping honor in partner's hand; I'd probably lead a trump. As it happens North can take three rounds of trumps, three rounds of spades, lose a club finesse and eventually score the King of diamonds and a trump in each hand. Be sure you don't ruff too early in either hand, you could lose control.
Against the "slow shows" lebensohl sequence, East can place South with the King-plus of diamonds and North with at least a doubleton; a shortage in partner's hand is a fair bet. East boldly leads out the Ace of his suit; I don't think North can false-card effectively, so East continues with his lowest diamond (suit-preference for clubs if partner can ruff.) He isn't sure West will be out of diamonds but a low diamond to the bare King can't cost. West does ruff and the defense holds N/S to an average score. (North must not, of course, allow West a second ruff; he can hop with the Ace on the club return or simply ruff another diamond high.)
If the bidding starts 1NT-(dbl)-redbl, West and North pass and East bids his diamonds. South could try passing to see if North can double (yes he can!) but trying to beat 2D three tricks looks iffier than game, so the bidding is apt to proceed as above (cue-bid or delayed cue-bid for Stayman.)
Capp sequence: 1NT-(2C = long suit)-dbl-(pass); pass-(2D), basically the same as with DONT -- South forces to game while checking on a major fit.
All bridge players should be familiar with using a cue-bid in the enemy suit as a Stayman replacement; novices be sure to discuss this one with partner.
Two pairs reached hopeless 6H contracts; either South over-rated his control-poor 13 count or North broke discipline, continuing beyond game. Remember, when you open 1NT, partner KNOWS you have a good hand; he's in charge of placing the contract.
Board 6: E/W have a rare vulnerable-vs-not sacrifice available at 4S, but most N/S pairs were allowed to play 4H and make an overtrick. An "open anything" East might start with 1D ("Two and half quick tricks partner") but I expect most passed, allowing South to start with 1C. West is itching to bid his 7330 hand, but the suit is rather poor for a leap to 3S when vul-vs.-not. I settled for 2S, North stretches for 3H; and East should pause to consider. It's poor tactics to bid 3S now and then 4S over 4H; that maximizes the chance they'll double you when they should defend and bid on when they should not. Bid 3S if you want to take your chances against 4H; if not, either blast to 4S (make 'em guess!) or try a lead directing 4D. Partner won't be on lead against 4H, but you might gamble on underleading to partner's King of spades. I think 4S is right -- you expect partner to take 6 or 7 spades, one or two diamonds, one or two heart ruffs, and possibly a side winner from partner. That adds up to nine or ten winners, and if, say, the diamond finessse is off you probably aren't beating 4H.
Over 4S, South appears to have relatively poor defense; bidding 5H with only three trumps is probably wrong but it may be tough to set 4S. Having opened the bidding I think pass is the disciplined action; North doubles based on his quick tricks. You can't wait for trump tricks to double at this level.
North leads the ten of diamonds; declarer suspects a sinngleton but needing diamond tricks, finesses anyway. South wins and returns his lowest diamond (suit-preference for clubs.) North ruffs and boldly underleads his Ace of clubs to try for a second ruff -- but West's void comes as a nasty shock and declarer pulls the remaining trumps in one round and can now ruff two hearts in dummy. West can always manage ten tricks via some combination of heart ruffs and setting up diamonds. Turns out N/S needed to sacrifice at 5H despite having a solid majority of the points!
Board 10: East opens 1D; West has a standard bid to show 16-17 hcp with any 4333 shape: 3NT! This assures East of a diamond fit and 30+ hcp, but the singleton in the hand with trump length does not add any playing strength. East should try visualizing: xxxx AQx KQx KQx would be a "perfect minimum" and produce 12 easy tricks. At a team game I think it would be clear to bid 4D as a slam try, planning to settle for 5D if partner does not show enthusiasm. But at matchpoints you really, really want to play 3NT (or 4) or 6D -- 5D will almost invariably be a poor second to one or the other. I don't think I have any partnerships where I could bid 4D and then stop at 4NT if we don't have the stuff for slam. A quantitative 4NT is a possibility, but many would take that as ace-asking. Key-card bidders should recognize that a 5H "two key cards without the queen" will leave you poorly placed, even if you are able to bid 5S to request a sign-off at 5NT. I think this is one where you consider slam chances and then pass 3NT as a practical matter.
Most pairs have adopted "limit notrump jumps" these days -- 2NT shows 11-12 and 3NT = 13-15. And they have NO WAY to show a flat 16+. West responds 1S, forcing for the moment; East rebids 2D or 1NT, depending on the partnership attitude toward rebidding notrump with a singleton in partner's suit. I strongly recommend you discuss this with partner -- don't bid 1NT on a hand like East's and then blame partner for rebidding a poor spade suit. For years I preferred to promise a balanced hand for a notrump rebid; I've recently switched to accepting a singleton in spades, only (when that's responder's suit.) Note that East is too weak for a strength-showing 2H reverse -- that bid effectively forces the partnership to 2NT or higher, and requires 17+ hcp.
Over 2D, West must force again with 3C (safer than 2H; if partner raises clubs you can always retreat to diamonds.) With KJxx in the unbid heart suit, East likely bids 3NT, so we have this auction: 1D-1S; 2D-3C; 3NT-? West has not described either his shape or strength accurately at this point; a 4D bid is clearly a slam try, but bidding three suits gives the impression of shortness in the fourth. Ugh! Anway, evey pair stumbled into 3NT or 4NT one way or another. The ten of diamonds mkaes the difference between a poor slam and an excellent one, so don't feel bad about missing 6D.
Board 13: With no Ace or ten, North should downgrade his poor, 5332 12 count and pass. East, owever, has a reasonable Rule of 20 or Goren 13 count, though many would pass for lack of major suit length. I suspect most opened as North and East certainly overcalled 2C. South has nothing to say.
West has a problem -- North stole his powerhouse suit! Looking at the King of clubs, it seemed reasonable to assume partner has something outside for her vulnerable overcall, so I guessed to bid 3NT. Other possibilities include 2S or 2H, but 3NT looks like the likely spot and anything else risks missing that golden contract. Even if partner has spade support the known bad breaks may make notrump a better bet.
North gives West a scare with the King of diamonds lead, but partner produces the expected stopper. Not fearing any shift declarer ducks the first two diamonds and wins the third, pitching low hearts. West should consider what contracts other declarers may be in: five clubs and six clubs are the obvious alternatives. North is marked with almost every missing high card, so the spade finesse appears to be losing. That makes 12 tricks at clubs a difficult proposition, so it makes sense to play safe for 9 tricks: test the clubs and cash winners. If you can read North for fewer than five diamonds, you can set up an extra heart or spade winner, but in fact 3NT making scored a cold top.
If North passes, E/W might reach 6C and go down on the reasonable line of trying both major suit finesses. If E/W somehow reach 6C after North opens, East can pull trumps set up two extra hearts with a ruffing finesse and a spade with a losing finesse. Ruffing a diamond in dummy looks fatal as declarer cannot return to his hand to pull South's trumps.
Board 23: West has a wild hand: AKQ10xxxx -- 10 AQ97. There are nine obvious winners and good chances in clubs for a tenth, along with excellent slam controls. This is the sort of hand to open 2C and rebid 4S, announcing ten tricks and great controls but somewhat below the expected number of high cards. You could open 1S and chances are someone would bid; if partner does not have six hcp the enemy have at least 20 and shortness in spades. But there is no good way to portray the playing strength of this hand beginning with 1S. Don't carry this notion to extremes: AKQxxxxxxx -- x xx may be ten tricks but 2C would be a gross distortion.
East should make a positive response in diamonds -- don't bid an anemic 2D "waiting" bid and try to catch up later. Any hand with an Ace, 8+ hcp and a five card or better suit headed by two top honors has too much slam potential opposite a 2C opener to begin with an unhelpful 2D call. ("Steps" bidders, of course, would show 10-12 hcpwith a 2NT response.)
Whatever the response, West carries through with his planned 4S rebid. East adds his 2.5 quick tricks to partner's announced 10; the only flaw would be the possibility that opener has only seven spades and therefore a possible extra loser opposite your void. Don't even consider any suit but spades on this bidding -- partner did not ask your opinion about trumps! If this bidding were to come up more than once every few years, it would be reasonable to define a 5S raise as " I have two tricks for you but a void in trumps -- is that a problem?" Well, 5S generally asks about trump quality but I think that's cutting things rather fine (i.e., AKQxxxx would not constitute adequate trump quality!) Some might argue that West should "go slower" over the positive response, but I think 4S gives the clearest description of his hand.
I think East should gamble that either the spades are solid or the diamond Queen will be worth a trick. It's reasonable to bid 4NT and then 5NT to confirm all the Aces or Key cards, then settle in 6S. North leads the King of hearts. I don't know the best line but I think ruff the lead and run seven more spades looks reasonable, leaving -- AJ AQ 8 opposite -- -- 10 AQ97 in hand. Now cash the two red Aces and if nothing wonderful happens try the club finesse. You may be able to read an endplay depending on the enemy discards. It would be nice to surrender a trick (rectifying the count for a squeeze) but a diamond return by North or a club return by South would foul your communications.
Board 4: North opens a maximum 1NT. East has a nice 2D overcall -- even vulnerable, it's worth bidding such a good suit. You wouldn't mind defending against two or three notrump, but at one notrump you are too likely to have to discard some of your diamonds before you can cash the rest. Many people play artificial methods these days -- 2D may show both majors (Cappaletti or Modified Cappaletti) or diamonds-plus-a-major (DONT.) So, you may have to start with a double (DONT, showing one suit) or 2C (Capp, showing a long suit, or Modified Capp, showing a long minor or major-minor two-suiter.) That makes the overcall less attractive -- N/S will have more time to sort out the hand. Still, a suit headed by AQ10 begs to be bid and it does seem better to disrupt the enemy's possible Stayman or transfer sequence. Overcalling is particularly attractive against pairs playing those horrible "Stolen Bid" doubles since they will have no way to double you for penalties.
Against a natural 2D, South has a standard 3D "Stayman" cue-bid. Those playing lebensohl with the "fast denies" agreement should bid 2NT as a puppet to 3C, then 2D to show "Stayman with a stopper." Over a DONT double, South redoubles to show the balance of strength (generally, a minimum of 23 hcp between the two hands.) Over a Cappaletti 2C, many would play double = Stayman, even if not playing Stolen Bid doubles in general. I recommend, however, that doubles of artificial bids show points (8+ balanced) rather than showing or asking for any particular distribution. This puts our side in good position to double any misfit for penalties.
Assuming a simple 1NT-(2D)-3D sequence, North bids 3H and South raises to game. East assumes 25+ hcp for N/S, leaving six or less for partner. This makes it unattractive to try and find a helping honor in partner's hand; I'd probably lead a trump. As it happens North can take three rounds of trumps, three rounds of spades, lose a club finesse and eventually score the King of diamonds and a trump in each hand. Be sure you don't ruff too early in either hand, you could lose control.
Against the "slow shows" lebensohl sequence, East can place South with the King-plus of diamonds and North with at least a doubleton; a shortage in partner's hand is a fair bet. East boldly leads out the Ace of his suit; I don't think North can false-card effectively, so East continues with his lowest diamond (suit-preference for clubs if partner can ruff.) He isn't sure West will be out of diamonds but a low diamond to the bare King can't cost. West does ruff and the defense holds N/S to an average score. (North must not, of course, allow West a second ruff; he can hop with the Ace on the club return or simply ruff another diamond high.)
If the bidding starts 1NT-(dbl)-redbl, West and North pass and East bids his diamonds. South could try passing to see if North can double (yes he can!) but trying to beat 2D three tricks looks iffier than game, so the bidding is apt to proceed as above (cue-bid or delayed cue-bid for Stayman.)
Capp sequence: 1NT-(2C = long suit)-dbl-(pass); pass-(2D), basically the same as with DONT -- South forces to game while checking on a major fit.
All bridge players should be familiar with using a cue-bid in the enemy suit as a Stayman replacement; novices be sure to discuss this one with partner.
Two pairs reached hopeless 6H contracts; either South over-rated his control-poor 13 count or North broke discipline, continuing beyond game. Remember, when you open 1NT, partner KNOWS you have a good hand; he's in charge of placing the contract.
Board 6: E/W have a rare vulnerable-vs-not sacrifice available at 4S, but most N/S pairs were allowed to play 4H and make an overtrick. An "open anything" East might start with 1D ("Two and half quick tricks partner") but I expect most passed, allowing South to start with 1C. West is itching to bid his 7330 hand, but the suit is rather poor for a leap to 3S when vul-vs.-not. I settled for 2S, North stretches for 3H; and East should pause to consider. It's poor tactics to bid 3S now and then 4S over 4H; that maximizes the chance they'll double you when they should defend and bid on when they should not. Bid 3S if you want to take your chances against 4H; if not, either blast to 4S (make 'em guess!) or try a lead directing 4D. Partner won't be on lead against 4H, but you might gamble on underleading to partner's King of spades. I think 4S is right -- you expect partner to take 6 or 7 spades, one or two diamonds, one or two heart ruffs, and possibly a side winner from partner. That adds up to nine or ten winners, and if, say, the diamond finessse is off you probably aren't beating 4H.
Over 4S, South appears to have relatively poor defense; bidding 5H with only three trumps is probably wrong but it may be tough to set 4S. Having opened the bidding I think pass is the disciplined action; North doubles based on his quick tricks. You can't wait for trump tricks to double at this level.
North leads the ten of diamonds; declarer suspects a sinngleton but needing diamond tricks, finesses anyway. South wins and returns his lowest diamond (suit-preference for clubs.) North ruffs and boldly underleads his Ace of clubs to try for a second ruff -- but West's void comes as a nasty shock and declarer pulls the remaining trumps in one round and can now ruff two hearts in dummy. West can always manage ten tricks via some combination of heart ruffs and setting up diamonds. Turns out N/S needed to sacrifice at 5H despite having a solid majority of the points!
Board 10: East opens 1D; West has a standard bid to show 16-17 hcp with any 4333 shape: 3NT! This assures East of a diamond fit and 30+ hcp, but the singleton in the hand with trump length does not add any playing strength. East should try visualizing: xxxx AQx KQx KQx would be a "perfect minimum" and produce 12 easy tricks. At a team game I think it would be clear to bid 4D as a slam try, planning to settle for 5D if partner does not show enthusiasm. But at matchpoints you really, really want to play 3NT (or 4) or 6D -- 5D will almost invariably be a poor second to one or the other. I don't think I have any partnerships where I could bid 4D and then stop at 4NT if we don't have the stuff for slam. A quantitative 4NT is a possibility, but many would take that as ace-asking. Key-card bidders should recognize that a 5H "two key cards without the queen" will leave you poorly placed, even if you are able to bid 5S to request a sign-off at 5NT. I think this is one where you consider slam chances and then pass 3NT as a practical matter.
Most pairs have adopted "limit notrump jumps" these days -- 2NT shows 11-12 and 3NT = 13-15. And they have NO WAY to show a flat 16+. West responds 1S, forcing for the moment; East rebids 2D or 1NT, depending on the partnership attitude toward rebidding notrump with a singleton in partner's suit. I strongly recommend you discuss this with partner -- don't bid 1NT on a hand like East's and then blame partner for rebidding a poor spade suit. For years I preferred to promise a balanced hand for a notrump rebid; I've recently switched to accepting a singleton in spades, only (when that's responder's suit.) Note that East is too weak for a strength-showing 2H reverse -- that bid effectively forces the partnership to 2NT or higher, and requires 17+ hcp.
Over 2D, West must force again with 3C (safer than 2H; if partner raises clubs you can always retreat to diamonds.) With KJxx in the unbid heart suit, East likely bids 3NT, so we have this auction: 1D-1S; 2D-3C; 3NT-? West has not described either his shape or strength accurately at this point; a 4D bid is clearly a slam try, but bidding three suits gives the impression of shortness in the fourth. Ugh! Anway, evey pair stumbled into 3NT or 4NT one way or another. The ten of diamonds mkaes the difference between a poor slam and an excellent one, so don't feel bad about missing 6D.
Board 13: With no Ace or ten, North should downgrade his poor, 5332 12 count and pass. East, owever, has a reasonable Rule of 20 or Goren 13 count, though many would pass for lack of major suit length. I suspect most opened as North and East certainly overcalled 2C. South has nothing to say.
West has a problem -- North stole his powerhouse suit! Looking at the King of clubs, it seemed reasonable to assume partner has something outside for her vulnerable overcall, so I guessed to bid 3NT. Other possibilities include 2S or 2H, but 3NT looks like the likely spot and anything else risks missing that golden contract. Even if partner has spade support the known bad breaks may make notrump a better bet.
North gives West a scare with the King of diamonds lead, but partner produces the expected stopper. Not fearing any shift declarer ducks the first two diamonds and wins the third, pitching low hearts. West should consider what contracts other declarers may be in: five clubs and six clubs are the obvious alternatives. North is marked with almost every missing high card, so the spade finesse appears to be losing. That makes 12 tricks at clubs a difficult proposition, so it makes sense to play safe for 9 tricks: test the clubs and cash winners. If you can read North for fewer than five diamonds, you can set up an extra heart or spade winner, but in fact 3NT making scored a cold top.
If North passes, E/W might reach 6C and go down on the reasonable line of trying both major suit finesses. If E/W somehow reach 6C after North opens, East can pull trumps set up two extra hearts with a ruffing finesse and a spade with a losing finesse. Ruffing a diamond in dummy looks fatal as declarer cannot return to his hand to pull South's trumps.
Board 23: West has a wild hand: AKQ10xxxx -- 10 AQ97. There are nine obvious winners and good chances in clubs for a tenth, along with excellent slam controls. This is the sort of hand to open 2C and rebid 4S, announcing ten tricks and great controls but somewhat below the expected number of high cards. You could open 1S and chances are someone would bid; if partner does not have six hcp the enemy have at least 20 and shortness in spades. But there is no good way to portray the playing strength of this hand beginning with 1S. Don't carry this notion to extremes: AKQxxxxxxx -- x xx may be ten tricks but 2C would be a gross distortion.
East should make a positive response in diamonds -- don't bid an anemic 2D "waiting" bid and try to catch up later. Any hand with an Ace, 8+ hcp and a five card or better suit headed by two top honors has too much slam potential opposite a 2C opener to begin with an unhelpful 2D call. ("Steps" bidders, of course, would show 10-12 hcpwith a 2NT response.)
Whatever the response, West carries through with his planned 4S rebid. East adds his 2.5 quick tricks to partner's announced 10; the only flaw would be the possibility that opener has only seven spades and therefore a possible extra loser opposite your void. Don't even consider any suit but spades on this bidding -- partner did not ask your opinion about trumps! If this bidding were to come up more than once every few years, it would be reasonable to define a 5S raise as " I have two tricks for you but a void in trumps -- is that a problem?" Well, 5S generally asks about trump quality but I think that's cutting things rather fine (i.e., AKQxxxx would not constitute adequate trump quality!) Some might argue that West should "go slower" over the positive response, but I think 4S gives the clearest description of his hand.
I think East should gamble that either the spades are solid or the diamond Queen will be worth a trick. It's reasonable to bid 4NT and then 5NT to confirm all the Aces or Key cards, then settle in 6S. North leads the King of hearts. I don't know the best line but I think ruff the lead and run seven more spades looks reasonable, leaving -- AJ AQ 8 opposite -- -- 10 AQ97 in hand. Now cash the two red Aces and if nothing wonderful happens try the club finesse. You may be able to read an endplay depending on the enemy discards. It would be nice to surrender a trick (rectifying the count for a squeeze) but a diamond return by North or a club return by South would foul your communications.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Sunday, December 2nd, 2012
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Board 14: South opens a routine 1C. I'm sure most Norths responded 1S, but I would recommend 2S, forcing to game and showing immediate slam interest. However, it is normal in American methods to promise at least a five-card suit for a jump shift so 1S may be best if you haven't discussed this with partner. A good auction might be 1C-2S; 3S (promising 4 card support)-4NT; 5H-5NT; 6D-? With all the Aces,Kings and the Queen of spades, there might be a grand slam; but opener might have little besides his two Aces and one King. Best is to bid 6S -- the trump suit makes for a safer slam than 6NT and there may be a play for an overtrick. 19 hcp opposite an opening bid could add up to only 31 or 32 hcp -- enough for slam in a suit, but below the usual standard of 33 hcp for 6NT. As it happens, making 6NT requires some sort of squeeze or defensive error, while 6S makes easily by trumping a diamond in dummy.
If the bidding begins 1C-1S; 2S, does the raise promise four card support? If so North can proceed with Blackwood as above. Otherwise, he'd better make a forcing bid and see whether partner repeats the spade support. A plausible auction might be 1C-1S; 2S-3H; 3S etc., but if South thinks he's already shown four trumps he may bid 3NT instead and the auction could go off the rails. As usual, making any slam nets a decent score: only four of nine pairs bid and made slam.
Board 23: West opens 1C and East can show immediate slam interest with a strong jump to 2S. A good auction might be 1C-2S; 3C-3H; 3NT-? At this point East has told his story and partner wasn't interested, so East can pass 3NT in comfort.
Absent strong jump shifts, or with the restriction that the jumper cannot have a second suit, the auction begins 1C-1S; 2C-? Gadget-loving partnerships might play New Minor Forcing here (an extension, normally the convention only applies after opener rebids 1NT); that would allow 2H on a weak 5-4 hand. But the default agreement is that 2H is forcing, under the core rule of Standard American bidding: "A new suit-over-suit bid by a responder who has never passed is forcing." Despite the misfit, opener should like his clubs enough to leap to 3NT at this point -- the previous 2C bid limited his hand somewhat, so this just shows a good minimum-range hand. And now responder is uncomfortable passing with 16 hcp when all he has shown is eleven or so. Pass is probably best, but how much simpler to announce the strength up front with a strong jump!
I count two strong jumps and zero weak ones this session, a fairly typical result. But it would be zero strong jumps as well if you require a five card suit and prohibit a second suit, both common restrictions in American but not European methods. I generally prefer American methods except for two level jump shifts, as illustrated by today's hands. It's possible to land in the right spot without a strong jump, but it's easy to go wrong. An early jump saves much guesswork later.
Board 14: South opens a routine 1C. I'm sure most Norths responded 1S, but I would recommend 2S, forcing to game and showing immediate slam interest. However, it is normal in American methods to promise at least a five-card suit for a jump shift so 1S may be best if you haven't discussed this with partner. A good auction might be 1C-2S; 3S (promising 4 card support)-4NT; 5H-5NT; 6D-? With all the Aces,Kings and the Queen of spades, there might be a grand slam; but opener might have little besides his two Aces and one King. Best is to bid 6S -- the trump suit makes for a safer slam than 6NT and there may be a play for an overtrick. 19 hcp opposite an opening bid could add up to only 31 or 32 hcp -- enough for slam in a suit, but below the usual standard of 33 hcp for 6NT. As it happens, making 6NT requires some sort of squeeze or defensive error, while 6S makes easily by trumping a diamond in dummy.
If the bidding begins 1C-1S; 2S, does the raise promise four card support? If so North can proceed with Blackwood as above. Otherwise, he'd better make a forcing bid and see whether partner repeats the spade support. A plausible auction might be 1C-1S; 2S-3H; 3S etc., but if South thinks he's already shown four trumps he may bid 3NT instead and the auction could go off the rails. As usual, making any slam nets a decent score: only four of nine pairs bid and made slam.
Board 23: West opens 1C and East can show immediate slam interest with a strong jump to 2S. A good auction might be 1C-2S; 3C-3H; 3NT-? At this point East has told his story and partner wasn't interested, so East can pass 3NT in comfort.
Absent strong jump shifts, or with the restriction that the jumper cannot have a second suit, the auction begins 1C-1S; 2C-? Gadget-loving partnerships might play New Minor Forcing here (an extension, normally the convention only applies after opener rebids 1NT); that would allow 2H on a weak 5-4 hand. But the default agreement is that 2H is forcing, under the core rule of Standard American bidding: "A new suit-over-suit bid by a responder who has never passed is forcing." Despite the misfit, opener should like his clubs enough to leap to 3NT at this point -- the previous 2C bid limited his hand somewhat, so this just shows a good minimum-range hand. And now responder is uncomfortable passing with 16 hcp when all he has shown is eleven or so. Pass is probably best, but how much simpler to announce the strength up front with a strong jump!
I count two strong jumps and zero weak ones this session, a fairly typical result. But it would be zero strong jumps as well if you require a five card suit and prohibit a second suit, both common restrictions in American but not European methods. I generally prefer American methods except for two level jump shifts, as illustrated by today's hands. It's possible to land in the right spot without a strong jump, but it's easy to go wrong. An early jump saves much guesswork later.
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Friday, November 30th 2012
Right-click here for hands. These hands were originally generated for a Tuesday game.
Board 1: A wild hand, with each player facing choices. Should North open? 11 hcp and 6-5 shape says "yes", but two singleton honors and less than two quick tricks says "no". If the minors were reversed I'd open a weak two diamonds, planning to freely bid 3C (but no higher) later if given the opportunity. With clubs longer and stronger, I would pass, planning to enter the auction later with a descriptive Unusual 2NT. If North does open, should it be 1C or 1D ? Basically with 6-5 hands you have to decide whether to portray it as 5-5 or 6-4. Bidding both suits shows more of your cards, but with most the points in clubs, I'd probably open and rebid the clubs, burying the diamonds unless partner mentions them.
East has an obvious 1C bid if North passes, or a reasonable upgrade to a 15-17 NT. Aces, tens, nines and five card suits all are worth more than the simple point count allows, perhaps 1/2 each for the good five card suit and second ten. (You expect to have one Ace, one ten and one nine in an average hand.) Three quick tricks should please partner if he insists on a suit contract.
Over a 1D bid, the choice is between 1NT and 2C; the sturdy suit is fine for an overcall, but again 1NT is a reasonable description (and greatly simplifies West's bidding problems as it happens.) If East chooses 2C, is South good enough for a negative double? Only five hcp, but an Ace, good shape and tolerance for diamonds makes the double attractive.
Now it's West's turn, after 1D-2C-pass or dbl. Ordinarily, to show 5-5 shape, you bid "down the line", bidding spades first and planning to bid and rebid hearts later. But is West strong enough for that? Rebidding the hearts would have to be at at least the four level. Pass seems overly timid; an alternate strategy would be to bid 2H, trusting partner to mention spades if he has four. This will miss a 5-3 spade fit, but responding in spades risks never mentioning the hearts at all, or overbidding on a potential misfit.
If North opens 1C, East can pass (usually sound when they open your best suit) or again upgrade his hand to a 1NT overcall. I would expect notrump to play well and favor the overcall. South cannot double 1NT -- that would be strength-showing (10+ hcp); negative doubles apply only over suit bids. Any notrump bid or overcall by East allows West to confidently force to game on his 5-5 ten count. Some pairs play a gadget 3S bid for strong 5-5 hands, but simple transfers work better: transfer to spades and then rebid 3H. As it would be normal to use Stayman on a 5-4 hand, bidding both majors shows 5-5, and a new suit at the three level after a transfer is always game-forcing.
Any time you can give partner a good description of your hand with one bid, you are apt to come out ahead in the bidding. That doesn't justify ignoring your agreed notrump range; I see players claiming 15-17 or 15-18 ranges while routinely including average 14, 18 or 19 counts. Stick to your range, but judgement is allowed on exceptional hands such as this one.
Against 4H, South will likely lead his singleton club, but a diamond is possible if that's what North opened and West has shown his 5-5 pattern -- the idea would be to try and force the long trump hand (dummy) to ruff twice, putting South's trumps in control.
North should take time to plan the defense before winning his Ace of clubs -- it's good practice never to play quickly as third hand to trick one; think! West has 10 hcp, North has 11, East has shown 15-17; that leaves only 2-4 points for South. Also, 4H looks like a normal contract (North is unaware of East's other bidding options.) If North opened 1C the lead appears more likely to be from 3 rather than a singleton. South may have a club honor. North's stiff heart means either East or South has four. Continuing clubs probably allows declarer to pitch something in dummy, but unless South has a high diamnd this doesn't look like it will cost. Leading the stiff Jack of spades hoping for a ruff would be foolish -- a single trump lead eliminates the heart Queen. Better to hope South has something like J9xx in trumps and the Queen will promote a natural trick. I'd continue the clubs, hoping to give nothing away.
East tries the Jack or ten of clubs and South ruffs to prevent a diamond discard; dummy overuffs. The extreme split in clubs suggest South is more likely to have heart length; East would like to lead twice through South and hope to capture the trump Jack or Queen. A diamond to hand, ten of hearts (ducked, covering won't promote anything for South, best is to hope North has a stiff honor as here) to the Queen, another club, but it looks like declarer will score ten tricks easily. On repeated diamond leads declarer has a harder time, probably needing to ruff a spade in hand between the first and second round of trumps.
Several Easts played in clubs; a possible auction might be 1D-2C-dbl-pass; North passes, converting the double to penalties and East has no place to run. I think West would do better to pull the double to 2S or perhaps 2H. On the penalty pass auction, South must lead a trump. No reason for North to grab his Ace; why lead into that dummy? Just cover the seven with the nine. East wins and may be tempted to try for a fast discard on spades, but North's bidding (1D, the passing a negative double) suggests 5-5 in the minors and it's unlikely he has three spades. Instead, East runs the ten of hearts (or makes a brilliant guess with the King, but a stiff Ace on North is just as likely as a stiff Queen.) North exits with the Jack of spades. East wins and tries another heart; South hops up with the Ace and switches to diamonds when North pitches the six. After this North can safely exit with a diamond every time he gets in, which should limit declarer to two or three trump tricks, one spade and three diamonds. Ouch!
Board 2: Twelve high card points is usually too much for an opening preemptive bid, but East is looking at favorable vulnerability, strong hearts, no Ace and fewer than two quick tricks -- I'd gamble that 4H won't miss a slam. After two passes, North has too much to go quietly and double is the obvious choice no matter how partner takes it. (The modern style is described as "takeout", but it's more like "optional" at this level; I still prefer "partner, I've got too much to pass!", usually 16+ but I'd stretch with this quick-trick rich beauty.)
South's choice is pass or 5C; I think I'd pass and lead the stiff spade -- partner rates to be able to give you more than one ruff. North wins and reads the lead as likely from shortness; he returns his lowest spade to signal for a club return. South wins and returns the Jack of clubs; he doesn't want North to duck the Queen. North wins the King and gives South another ruff. Now South cashes the Ace of diamonds (North signals with the 8), and leds to North's King for down 3 (+500 N/S.)
If the defense starts with two rounds of clubs, declarer ruffs, pulls trumps and sets up two spade winners for nine tricks. Five clubs for +600 was a top but +500 would've beat all other scores. Making slam requires guessing to drop the Queen of diamonds rather than taking the obvious finesse (which should be better than 50% in light of East's preempt, but might be plausible if East opens only 1H.)
Board 7: South has just enough for a 1D opening or 1C "could be short" depending on partnership style. Over 1D West's hand is horribly flawed for a takeout double; partner may never quit bidding hearts. I make it a rule never to start with a double on a hand with a singleton or void in an unbid major. Some might choose an off-beat 1NT, but partner may well transfer to a random five card heart suit. One spade on AKxx looks best. North passes and East's 8 hcp are just enough for a 1NT reply; I wouldn't worry too much about stoppers in an enemy minor. West could bid 2D, natural, but that does not sound forward-going; 2NT invites game. East might pass or bid 3C; over 3C, West bids 3D (natural, in effect stopper showing) and East should finish at 3NT.
Double-dummy, 3NT should go down while either 5C or 5D makes; but with no suit unstopped it's almost always right to try 3NT rather than venture the five level. A low heart can beat 3NT but five of six declarers playing notrump made nine or more tricks.
Board 9: East opens 1C, South jumps to 2D, and West bids the obvious 3NT. This ended the bidding at seven tables; one East reached 4H and another 6S, both theoretically makeable but both down one at the table. East can visulaize slam opposite many opening hands, but the likely wasted values in diamonds and East's unappealing 4414 shape (nothing useful to pitch on diamonds) argue against bidding on. If East does make a move, West should support clubs and the soundest slam should be reached. Twelve tricks makes on a finesse (hearts), so this is a slam you should not be sorry to miss.
Board 11: Another double-dummy slam, requiring two finesses. Every pair sensibly played 4S. South opens 1S; West may bid 2NT (Unusual.) However, it is common to play Unusual 2NT and Michaels cue-bids as "weak or strong", excluding hands of around 11-15 hcp. In that case West should overcall in one of his suits; I'd choose clubs for the good lead-direction rather than the anemic diamonds.
North expects 2C ot go down, but the known nine-card major suit fit argues against defending below the four level. North cue-bids 3C, promising at least a limit raise of spades. South has plenty enugh to accept and in fact shold want to leave North some bidding room in case there is a slam. 3D looks right; North assumes this is a game try but allows for the possibility of an advance control cue-bid. 3NT by North suggests his club values and also leaves more room in case South intended 3D as a cue-bid. South is uninspired by the watage in clubs and retreats to 4S.
East had support for clubs -- should he have gotten involved? Not with three small and a balanced, weakish hand -- a sacrifice is apt to be too costly. I suggest a firm agreement that doubling the cue-bid of partner's suit shows the Ace or King -- the opponents have just announced they are planning to play the hand, with partner on lead. It will be a big help to partner to be able to underlead his Ace or King with confidence -- and the failure to double (as here) will also be frequently helpful.
If West bids 2NT rather than a minor, North doubles first (to show strength) and later bids game in spades. This sets up a penalty double if E/W try the five level. Some pairs agree to play "Unusual over Unusual", where 3C (lower of overcaller's suits) shows a good hand with hearts and 3D (upper suit) shows a good hand with spades. 3H and 3S are competitive, say 8-10 points with your own six-card suit or support for partner. Double is thus more definitely for penalties -- if East were to bid 5C on today's hand, for example, North would have to double but would feel more comfortable if he had already shown spade support (via 3D) than if he started by doubling 2NT.
Board 21: East opens 1C; how many hearts does South bid? The poor suit and adverse vulnerability argue against 3H; South may settle for 1H or compromise with 2H. West bids 2S (at least 10+ hcp, 5+ spades and forcing one round; 2/1 game force does not apply over competition.) North "bounces" to 4H -- partner already looked at the vulnerability, so no reason to back off here. In fact, an argument can be made for 5H -- North expects the enemy to bid and make 4S; they may be too high at the five level. Picturing South with, say, xxx AKxxxx xx xx, the fate of both 5H and 5S would depend on the diamond finesse; you don't know whether they should bid or double you and neither do they. If you aren't going to sit for 4S, you should bid 5H now. Bidding 4H then 5H practically insures being doubled; a bold 5H may escape unscathed or with the enemy overbidding. On today's hand, 5H makes and E/W must sacrifice with a combined 24 hcp!
Board 1: A wild hand, with each player facing choices. Should North open? 11 hcp and 6-5 shape says "yes", but two singleton honors and less than two quick tricks says "no". If the minors were reversed I'd open a weak two diamonds, planning to freely bid 3C (but no higher) later if given the opportunity. With clubs longer and stronger, I would pass, planning to enter the auction later with a descriptive Unusual 2NT. If North does open, should it be 1C or 1D ? Basically with 6-5 hands you have to decide whether to portray it as 5-5 or 6-4. Bidding both suits shows more of your cards, but with most the points in clubs, I'd probably open and rebid the clubs, burying the diamonds unless partner mentions them.
East has an obvious 1C bid if North passes, or a reasonable upgrade to a 15-17 NT. Aces, tens, nines and five card suits all are worth more than the simple point count allows, perhaps 1/2 each for the good five card suit and second ten. (You expect to have one Ace, one ten and one nine in an average hand.) Three quick tricks should please partner if he insists on a suit contract.
Over a 1D bid, the choice is between 1NT and 2C; the sturdy suit is fine for an overcall, but again 1NT is a reasonable description (and greatly simplifies West's bidding problems as it happens.) If East chooses 2C, is South good enough for a negative double? Only five hcp, but an Ace, good shape and tolerance for diamonds makes the double attractive.
Now it's West's turn, after 1D-2C-pass or dbl. Ordinarily, to show 5-5 shape, you bid "down the line", bidding spades first and planning to bid and rebid hearts later. But is West strong enough for that? Rebidding the hearts would have to be at at least the four level. Pass seems overly timid; an alternate strategy would be to bid 2H, trusting partner to mention spades if he has four. This will miss a 5-3 spade fit, but responding in spades risks never mentioning the hearts at all, or overbidding on a potential misfit.
If North opens 1C, East can pass (usually sound when they open your best suit) or again upgrade his hand to a 1NT overcall. I would expect notrump to play well and favor the overcall. South cannot double 1NT -- that would be strength-showing (10+ hcp); negative doubles apply only over suit bids. Any notrump bid or overcall by East allows West to confidently force to game on his 5-5 ten count. Some pairs play a gadget 3S bid for strong 5-5 hands, but simple transfers work better: transfer to spades and then rebid 3H. As it would be normal to use Stayman on a 5-4 hand, bidding both majors shows 5-5, and a new suit at the three level after a transfer is always game-forcing.
Any time you can give partner a good description of your hand with one bid, you are apt to come out ahead in the bidding. That doesn't justify ignoring your agreed notrump range; I see players claiming 15-17 or 15-18 ranges while routinely including average 14, 18 or 19 counts. Stick to your range, but judgement is allowed on exceptional hands such as this one.
Against 4H, South will likely lead his singleton club, but a diamond is possible if that's what North opened and West has shown his 5-5 pattern -- the idea would be to try and force the long trump hand (dummy) to ruff twice, putting South's trumps in control.
North should take time to plan the defense before winning his Ace of clubs -- it's good practice never to play quickly as third hand to trick one; think! West has 10 hcp, North has 11, East has shown 15-17; that leaves only 2-4 points for South. Also, 4H looks like a normal contract (North is unaware of East's other bidding options.) If North opened 1C the lead appears more likely to be from 3 rather than a singleton. South may have a club honor. North's stiff heart means either East or South has four. Continuing clubs probably allows declarer to pitch something in dummy, but unless South has a high diamnd this doesn't look like it will cost. Leading the stiff Jack of spades hoping for a ruff would be foolish -- a single trump lead eliminates the heart Queen. Better to hope South has something like J9xx in trumps and the Queen will promote a natural trick. I'd continue the clubs, hoping to give nothing away.
East tries the Jack or ten of clubs and South ruffs to prevent a diamond discard; dummy overuffs. The extreme split in clubs suggest South is more likely to have heart length; East would like to lead twice through South and hope to capture the trump Jack or Queen. A diamond to hand, ten of hearts (ducked, covering won't promote anything for South, best is to hope North has a stiff honor as here) to the Queen, another club, but it looks like declarer will score ten tricks easily. On repeated diamond leads declarer has a harder time, probably needing to ruff a spade in hand between the first and second round of trumps.
Several Easts played in clubs; a possible auction might be 1D-2C-dbl-pass; North passes, converting the double to penalties and East has no place to run. I think West would do better to pull the double to 2S or perhaps 2H. On the penalty pass auction, South must lead a trump. No reason for North to grab his Ace; why lead into that dummy? Just cover the seven with the nine. East wins and may be tempted to try for a fast discard on spades, but North's bidding (1D, the passing a negative double) suggests 5-5 in the minors and it's unlikely he has three spades. Instead, East runs the ten of hearts (or makes a brilliant guess with the King, but a stiff Ace on North is just as likely as a stiff Queen.) North exits with the Jack of spades. East wins and tries another heart; South hops up with the Ace and switches to diamonds when North pitches the six. After this North can safely exit with a diamond every time he gets in, which should limit declarer to two or three trump tricks, one spade and three diamonds. Ouch!
Board 2: Twelve high card points is usually too much for an opening preemptive bid, but East is looking at favorable vulnerability, strong hearts, no Ace and fewer than two quick tricks -- I'd gamble that 4H won't miss a slam. After two passes, North has too much to go quietly and double is the obvious choice no matter how partner takes it. (The modern style is described as "takeout", but it's more like "optional" at this level; I still prefer "partner, I've got too much to pass!", usually 16+ but I'd stretch with this quick-trick rich beauty.)
South's choice is pass or 5C; I think I'd pass and lead the stiff spade -- partner rates to be able to give you more than one ruff. North wins and reads the lead as likely from shortness; he returns his lowest spade to signal for a club return. South wins and returns the Jack of clubs; he doesn't want North to duck the Queen. North wins the King and gives South another ruff. Now South cashes the Ace of diamonds (North signals with the 8), and leds to North's King for down 3 (+500 N/S.)
If the defense starts with two rounds of clubs, declarer ruffs, pulls trumps and sets up two spade winners for nine tricks. Five clubs for +600 was a top but +500 would've beat all other scores. Making slam requires guessing to drop the Queen of diamonds rather than taking the obvious finesse (which should be better than 50% in light of East's preempt, but might be plausible if East opens only 1H.)
Board 7: South has just enough for a 1D opening or 1C "could be short" depending on partnership style. Over 1D West's hand is horribly flawed for a takeout double; partner may never quit bidding hearts. I make it a rule never to start with a double on a hand with a singleton or void in an unbid major. Some might choose an off-beat 1NT, but partner may well transfer to a random five card heart suit. One spade on AKxx looks best. North passes and East's 8 hcp are just enough for a 1NT reply; I wouldn't worry too much about stoppers in an enemy minor. West could bid 2D, natural, but that does not sound forward-going; 2NT invites game. East might pass or bid 3C; over 3C, West bids 3D (natural, in effect stopper showing) and East should finish at 3NT.
Double-dummy, 3NT should go down while either 5C or 5D makes; but with no suit unstopped it's almost always right to try 3NT rather than venture the five level. A low heart can beat 3NT but five of six declarers playing notrump made nine or more tricks.
Board 9: East opens 1C, South jumps to 2D, and West bids the obvious 3NT. This ended the bidding at seven tables; one East reached 4H and another 6S, both theoretically makeable but both down one at the table. East can visulaize slam opposite many opening hands, but the likely wasted values in diamonds and East's unappealing 4414 shape (nothing useful to pitch on diamonds) argue against bidding on. If East does make a move, West should support clubs and the soundest slam should be reached. Twelve tricks makes on a finesse (hearts), so this is a slam you should not be sorry to miss.
Board 11: Another double-dummy slam, requiring two finesses. Every pair sensibly played 4S. South opens 1S; West may bid 2NT (Unusual.) However, it is common to play Unusual 2NT and Michaels cue-bids as "weak or strong", excluding hands of around 11-15 hcp. In that case West should overcall in one of his suits; I'd choose clubs for the good lead-direction rather than the anemic diamonds.
North expects 2C ot go down, but the known nine-card major suit fit argues against defending below the four level. North cue-bids 3C, promising at least a limit raise of spades. South has plenty enugh to accept and in fact shold want to leave North some bidding room in case there is a slam. 3D looks right; North assumes this is a game try but allows for the possibility of an advance control cue-bid. 3NT by North suggests his club values and also leaves more room in case South intended 3D as a cue-bid. South is uninspired by the watage in clubs and retreats to 4S.
East had support for clubs -- should he have gotten involved? Not with three small and a balanced, weakish hand -- a sacrifice is apt to be too costly. I suggest a firm agreement that doubling the cue-bid of partner's suit shows the Ace or King -- the opponents have just announced they are planning to play the hand, with partner on lead. It will be a big help to partner to be able to underlead his Ace or King with confidence -- and the failure to double (as here) will also be frequently helpful.
If West bids 2NT rather than a minor, North doubles first (to show strength) and later bids game in spades. This sets up a penalty double if E/W try the five level. Some pairs agree to play "Unusual over Unusual", where 3C (lower of overcaller's suits) shows a good hand with hearts and 3D (upper suit) shows a good hand with spades. 3H and 3S are competitive, say 8-10 points with your own six-card suit or support for partner. Double is thus more definitely for penalties -- if East were to bid 5C on today's hand, for example, North would have to double but would feel more comfortable if he had already shown spade support (via 3D) than if he started by doubling 2NT.
Board 21: East opens 1C; how many hearts does South bid? The poor suit and adverse vulnerability argue against 3H; South may settle for 1H or compromise with 2H. West bids 2S (at least 10+ hcp, 5+ spades and forcing one round; 2/1 game force does not apply over competition.) North "bounces" to 4H -- partner already looked at the vulnerability, so no reason to back off here. In fact, an argument can be made for 5H -- North expects the enemy to bid and make 4S; they may be too high at the five level. Picturing South with, say, xxx AKxxxx xx xx, the fate of both 5H and 5S would depend on the diamond finesse; you don't know whether they should bid or double you and neither do they. If you aren't going to sit for 4S, you should bid 5H now. Bidding 4H then 5H practically insures being doubled; a bold 5H may escape unscathed or with the enemy overbidding. On today's hand, 5H makes and E/W must sacrifice with a combined 24 hcp!
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