Keeping it Simple
Junior play should be about 'keeping it simple'. Once you pass that level, that is when you can start getting more complicated.
Board 22 From Wednesday 5th of July. Dealer E EW Vul
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8643
42
AJ54
KJ8South opens 1H and North responds with 1S. That should be the usual response when keeping things simple: bid your suit if you can. The quality of the suit doesn't matter, it's all about finding a TRUMP FIT, so even a lousy four card suit like that should be bid. There is no spade fit, so South now rebids 2D, giving North an alternative, as well as telling North that South has at least FIVE hearts and FOUR diamonds.
As well as that, it tells North that South does not have a very big hand, because South has rebid a LOWER suit at the LOWEST level. North now has a number of options: knowing that South has at least FIVE hearts, North might choose to give preference to 2H, this being a match point session where the major suits score more. But the two small hearts and FOUR diamonds should convince North that DIAMONDS should be the trump suit for NS. Therefore, North should PASS South's 2D rebid and that is a comfortable contract.
Or, North could raise to 3D which would be a slight overbid and would require say 10 or 11 HCP. That could result in getting too high. So, PASS when partner rebids 2D and give partner an easy contract to play. Note that THIS change of suit is NOT forcing!
I note that some Souths at the Hutt club did play in 2H and made an overtrick, which must have been thanks to poor defence. Others in 2H made exactly, for +110. There was only one pair in diamonds, but that was in FIVE diamonds and resulted in down one. As you can see, the result for TWO diamonds making FOUR would have been +130, close to a top score and beaten only by the pairs in 2H allowed to make an overtrick. You can't help it if the defence doesn't get the best results at other tables, just do the best you can at your own table. 2D MAKING FOUR is the PAR contract.
