Weekly Hand Analysis - Mark Olsky - August 15, 2022 - Game Bid

 

Question: 

E may have dropped the ball on this one so we will present it for analysis. 

E opens 1C and S with 14 HCP puts in a T/O Double. W, with 10 HCP bids 1 S. N passes and E thinks that game is not possible but S is a good place to be passes. 

Should E have supported partner’s suit and raised the bit to 2 S ?

Mark:

Thanks for another interesting hand. 

Let's take it in reverse this time and talk about the optimal contract. Spades may have made 4 at the table, but should be held to 9 tricks. Defenders get 2 clubs, a diamond and the spade ace. If E-W bid 3 spades, N-S have a potentially good save at 4 hearts, which is down 1 nonvul, only 100 even if doubled. You do have to guess the diamonds. If the hearts were 2-2,  or the singleton heart happens to be the J, you'd actually be able to make 4 hearts. 

Now, for the bidding: I agree with the T/O double of 1 club, having 4 cards in 1 major and 3 in the other. We always prefer to have 4 cards in both, but T/O is definitely OK with this.  W has a choice of RDBL showing 9 or more points or 1 spade, promising 5 or more. The reason you promise 5 is that S frequently has both majors well- covered for the T/O dbl. Even if you find an 8 card fit, you are likely to run into a foul break. With a 6 card suit it's definitely OK to bid it. 

You should be aware that you have a bit extra, compared with the least you could have and still bid 1 spade, but not way more. Even if N keeps quiet ( I probably wouldn't, but it's close) E should raise to 2 spades, which is no more no less than the hand contains. West now has enough to invite with 3 spades, having, as we said, a little extra, but east has no more than already promised and you make the excellent stop at 3 spades. Back to the north hand. yes, it's only 4 high card points, but you are 5-5 in 2 suits that partner probably has, and the fact that the opponents are showing spades means less likelihood that partner has wasted strength. In fact, south will usually have more strength in hearts in this auction and you might have only 1 or 2 losers in the suit. 

I would show hearts at my first chance to bid. (I might avoid doing that if partner will lead a heart against the probable E-W contract, which could easily cost a trick, but I'm on lead, so it's safer to bid the empty suit.) If E-W stop at 3 spades, I might keep quiet, not for fear being punished at 4 hearts as much as fear of pushing them to a makeable 4 spades. 

Incidentally, this is way beyond the scope of this discussion, but in advanced circles there is a concept in competitive bidding known as "The Law of Total Tricks." For anyone so inclined, Google it and this hand is a perfect illustration of how it works.