Who dares wins
Fresh to you from Wednesday 23/11/2016.
Board 22 Dealer E EW Vul
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AKQ75
Q62
JT973I can't imagine any East NOT opening this hand. Yes, only eleven high card points but the shape and singleton spade makes the hand worth 13 points. You don't go to the bridge club to pass do you? When East opens 1H, West will probably bid straight to game in hearts, though West might bid 2D just to hear East's rebid. But let's say West goes straight to 4H. Bid what you or partner can make is not a bad idea, it does simplify things.
It is now that a switched on and daring North will look at the vulnerability and the possible consequences of two actions: a) PASS and b) 4S. The bidding makes it fairly certain that 4H will make for EW, a score of 620. If North bids 4S and is doubled, what is the likely outcome? It is unlikely that 4S will be down more that THREE, and that is 500. So, a bid of 4S is a reasonable shot. East will pass, because West can make the final decision. West has little defence against 4S, but is the hand good enough to go to 5H? There is a well known saying: “The five level belongs to opponents” but in this case, with 14 HCP and a huge trump fit, plus the vulnerability conditions, West should be able to decide that EW won't get rich by doubling 4S. Therefore West should push on to 5H.
That should be the end unless SOUTH looks at his or her hand and reasons as follows: partner has gone to 4S as a sacrifice. EW have a big heart fit, and South has three of them, therefore North has a singleton at most. South's three hearts are useless on defence and with so many spades, South may feel it warrants competing further, to 5S. Giddy heights but as the reader can see, still worth it for NS despite the dictum of who the five level belongs to. This time it belongs to NS because 5S doubled is down only three whereas 5H makes. A delicate situation where 'who dares wins' and I notice that one hapless EW pair found themselves, pushed or otherwise, in 6H which had no play unless the defence cooperated.
They didn't this time!
