Source: Bridge: For High-Level Decisions, Experience Is Unbeatable
West Dealer, Neither side vulnerable
|
 4
 A K J 6 2
 K Q J 10 5
 K 7 |
|
| K J 9 7 6 2
10 8
6 4 3
A 4 |
|
A Q 8 3
7 5 3
8 7 2
Q 9 3 |
|
10 5
Q 9 4
A 9
J 10 8 6 5 2 |
| West |
North |
East |
South |
| 2 |
4 |
Pass |
4 |
| Pass |
Pass |
4 |
Pass |
| Pass |
5 |
All Pass |
|
Making the right decision at a high level in a competitive auction is not easy, and can be learned only by experience. Most players are too inclined to decide matters unilaterally. The expert will often look for a way to give his partner a voice in the proceedings.
North failed in this department on the diagramed deal, played in an event in Hong Kong. On the first round, he made an appropriate use of a rather rare convention. The jump to four clubs over the weak two-spade opening was an exclusion bid, promising length in both unbid suits.
This took South into four hearts, and East sacrificed by bidding four spades. As this was team play scored by international match points, East had little to lose and there was a chance of a profit if North-South could be pushed to the five-level.
North Gets Into Trouble
North wrongly allowed himself to be pushed. Since he had already shown at least five cards in each red suit, he had no distributional strength in reserve. But he did have extra high-card strength and could have shown this by doubling. Then South would have been able to use his judgment, and could have passed to collect 500 points.
As it happened, the South hand was very well-suited to a heart contract. Indeed, with 6 of his 7 points in his partner’s red suits, he would have considered five hearts even if North had doubled. But as it was, he was in jeopardy in five hearts without having had any choice in the matter.
With any routine defense, five hearts would have presented no problem whatever. After a low spade lead for example, East would have had to return a club after winning the first trick to save an overtrick.
But West led the spade king, an expert move when a long suit has been supported. It may permit the defense to win the first trick in either hand and did so here. East played low, allowing his partner to retain the lead.
West was Raymond Chow, a brilliant young Hong Kong player-writer. He followed his fine opening lead by an equally fine lead to the second trick: the club four. South can hardly be blamed for misjudging the situation.
West appeared to have A-K of spades or K-Q of spades, and was unlikely to have the club ace. So South played low from dummy and the defense took two tricks in the suit to defeat the contract.
