Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson - January 16, 2023 - Game

 

Question:

S has 15 HCP and opens 1 H, N responds 2 H with 9 HCP and  trump support. Should S have made an invitation to game? The hand made 4.

Vic:

Once South finds out there is a Golden Fit in hearts (courtesy of the 2H bid by North), they can add "shortness" points (club singleton) to their HCP count. How many shortness points is something even the experts might disagree about.  

Given that aggressive is good in bridge, I would vote for 3 shortness points. That would increase the value of the South hand to 18 Total Points (15 + 3). 

So yes, I would encourage South to at least invite game or even to jump to game themselves. Invite or jump would be dependent on the partnership agreement for how many points North has promised with their 2H bid. 

If South invites game, I would encourage North to accept the invitation & raise to game. Looks to me like NS do deserve to take 10 tricks, game making. 

I feel compelled to add that whereas aggressive is good, reckless is NOT good. Sometimes the line between the two gets a wee bit blurry. 

Ain't bridge a great game?