Bridge
Mignon McLaughlin, a journalist and author who died in 1983, said, “No one really listens to anyone else, and if you try it for a while you’ll see why.”
Luckily, you are reading! Look at the South hand in today’s diagram. He opens one heart and partner raises to two hearts.
What should South do now?
If South had a minimum opening bid, he would pass.
If he held a lot of extra values, he would jump to four hearts. But in this case he is in the middle.
True, he has only 15 high-card points, but he has three aces, two shortage points (one for each doubleton) and good playing potential.
He is too strong to pass, but not strong enough to bid game.
The key is North’s fit in clubs.
Opener rebids three clubs, making what is called a help-suit game-try.
He is asking partner to look specifically at this suit, and if North has either high cards or shortage there, he should bid game – as in today’s deal.
North, despite his minimum count, jumps to four hearts with the good club holding and four trumps.
West starts with three top spades.
South has five losers: two spades, one diamond and two clubs.
The first three are unavoidable, but he can ruff those low clubs on the board.
Declarer trumps at trick three, cashes the heart ace and queen, plays a club to dummy’s king, returns the club 10 to his ace, ruffs a club with the heart eight, plays a diamond to his ace, trumps the last club with the heart king, ruffs a spade, draws East’s third trump, and claims.