Question: Is 4H a good defensive bid?
Answer: Yes, BUT.
Comment: East has 5 losers & could expect to lose all five, should partner
prove to have nothing. A bid of 4H (Doubled - Not Vul - Down Two) would result
in a NS score of plus 300 which is more than NS would earn for making a part
score in either spades or clubs.
Comment: East could actually be considered to have an opening strength hand
(Rule of Twenty). Give West the heart King plus one of the missing Aces &
game in hearts looks cold. Give West the heart King plus two of the missing
Aces OR all three missing Aces & slam is possible.
Comment: It looks as if game is possible for NS in either spades or
clubs. The question is will NS be able to find game or not.
Possible Auction: East opens 4H. It is hard to imagine that South will not
Double. Whether the DBL gets taken out (probably to either 5C or 4S) or left in
for penalty depends on the NS partnership agreement.
Possible Auction: East opens 1H. Again, I would expect South to DBL
(Takeout), West should Pass. I would expect Advancer (North) to bid either 3C
or 2S. At this point West could consider a defensive heart bid. One possible
result of any defensive bid would be to push NS into a makeable game they would
not have bid on their own & give them a better score than if West had
simply Passed.
Conclusion: Looks like best case scenario for EW on this hand might very well
be for NS to play the hand in a part score contract.
Defensive bids, especially those that fall into the sacrifice category, are a
dangerous practice for inexperienced players. When (highly) experienced players
make a defensive bid, they know what they are doing. When inexperienced players
make a defensive bid, they generally do not understand all the ramifications of
doing so & are simply rolling the dice (Ho Chunk bridge), because they have
seen experienced players make those bids & think maybe it is something they
should do. A dangerous practice, as I said.
Ain't bridge a great game?
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