Subtle Point

12th February – Board 15. North/South Game. Dealer South.

Sometimes a bid should not be taken at face value when there is an inference that partner cannot hold support there. Even so confusion can often ensue!

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

West	North	East	South
			No
1H	No	1S	No
3H	No	4D	No
4S	No	4NT	No
5S	No	6H	End

When East bids 4D he might be doing it for one of two reasons. He might of course hold the suit even though he must be aware that his partner doesn’t because he had the chance to bid it himself and didn’t! More likely it is an advance cue-bid in support of hearts but whatever the case West can hardly not show his good support for spades. 4NT now becomes ambiguous because it is not clear to West which suit partner wants as trumps but following the principle that when a suit has been bid by both sides that is the agreed suit then that should ease West’s worries. By a happy coincidence the responses are the same whether it is hearts or spades as trumps and East can finally come clean by supporting hearts. There is nothing to the play, in either suit as it happens, and +980 should be a great score.