Weekly Hand Analysis - Vic Johnson- September 25, 2023 - Stolen Bid

 

Question:  South had 1NT opening bid.  North gave a transfer bid.  East stole the transfer bid.  Should South had doubled?

Vic:

No, South should not have doubled 2S. If South believed that the 2H bid by partner was a transfer to spades, what South should have done is bid 3S. That would have been an expensive screw up of Jacoby Transfer convention to be sure.

If NS were in fact playing Jacoby Transfers, the bid by North should have been 2D. 

One possibility is that North messed up the Jacoby Transfer. Another possibility is that North either forgot or never agreed in the first place to play Jacoby Transfers & intended their 2H bid as natural.

Assuming East believed 2H was a transfer to spades, I am guessing they intended their bid of 2S to be a cue bid, asking partner to bid one of the other three suits. In reality, 2S proved to be a dream come true for West who caused other hearts at the table to skip a beat by passing.

My analysis program tells me EW deserve to make 3S. They can also make 2NT or 4D. If played in the North, NS deserve to make 1H. That is the only contract NS deserve to make.

 Ain't bridge a great game?