Almost Impossible

17 June - Board: 5 N/S Vul. Dealer North

	North: S 6 H K J 8 3 D 10 4 C A K Q J 10 8
West: S A 10 5 3 H 9 5 D 9 7 5 C 9 7 6 2		East: S K J 9 8 7 H Q 10 4 D J 6 3 2 C 5
	South: S Q 4 2 H A 7 6 2 D A K Q 8 C 4 3

I watched this hand at a few tables and was surprised that almost without exception the heart suit seemed to get lost! North is bound to open 1C, and let us assume for a moment that East stays quiet. South responds 1D and North rebids 1H – much better than bidding clubs again at any level surely – and now South has a slight problem. The hand is worth a game bid in hearts of course but a jump to that contract should indicate a much weaker hand in terms of high cards, but with more distributional values. The answer of course is to bid the fourth suit, 1S, with the intent of raising to game in hearts over whatever response that bid elicits. North should bid 3C to show extra values and the danger now is that N/S might get too high although if someone uses Keycard they will find one keycard plus the queen of trumps missing. Six hearts is a poor contract, needing as it does the hearts to divide 3-3 and the finesse working, around 34% by my reckoning. If East overcalls the opening bid with 1S – and why not at that vulnerability? – South should make a Sputnik double to show the hearts. Whatever West bids North has a clear-cut bid of 4H and again South might get excited, to his ultimate cost. What is almost impossible to bid but equally impossible to defeat is 6C! Once an early spade is lost declarer merely runs all his clubs and East is hopelessly squeezed. With only six tricks remaining he needs to keep three hearts and four diamonds, something he would find beyond his capabilities.