Bidding Close Games.
Bridge Column for April 16, 2000, By HARVEY BERNSTEIN
Both Sides vulnerable.  South deals.
                              NORTH
                              S: A 4 3            
                              H: J 4 2       
                              D: K Q 7 5     
                              C: J 8 3   
            WEST                             EAST
            S: 9 5                           S: K 2          
            H: K Q 9 7                       H: 10 8 6 3   
            D: 10 9 2                        D: A 4 3             
            C: K Q 10 4                      C: 9 6 5 2     
                              SOUTH                         
                              S: Q J 10 8 7 6
                              H: A 5      
                              D: J 8 6     
                              C: A 7      
          The Bidding://
                  SOUTH    WEST    NORTH    EAST                  
                   1S      Pass     1NT     Pass
                   2S      Pass     4S      Pass
                   Pass    Pass     Pass 
     This hand was played during a team event at the recently
completed American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) Spring North
American Bridge Championships which were held in Cincinnati.  I
held the North cards and my partner in the South seat was Albert
Freeman of Cleveland.
     Freeman, in first seat, made a standard opening bid of one
spade.  My one no trump bid was conventional and a part of our
system.  In this sequence the bid is simply a one round force and
the start of many different sequences depending on the subsequent
bid by partner.  It is appropriate for the player in the South
seat to announce "Forcing" when this bid is made to alert the
opponents to the fact that it is not a standard bid.  Freeman
made the requisite announcement and then, at his turn, bid two
spades.
     This bid shows a hand with less than sixteen high card
points and a six card spade suit.  With sixteen or more points he
would jump to three spades.
     Had Freeman not shown a six card suit, I would have jumped
to three spades at my turn to show a limit raise with only three
trumps.  A direct limit raise would have promised four card trump
support.  With the knowledge that partner has a six card suit, it
is correct with this hand to simply bid the spade game.
     The opening lead was the king of hearts and the dummy was
revealed.  Freeman immediately noted that he was faced with a
potential loser in each suit.  The ace of diamonds was not going
to go away, and the king of spades may or may not be with West.   
The only possibility was that he could take action to avoid the
club loser.
     The first trick was won in the closed hand with the ace and
the five of hearts was led toward the jack.  West won the queen
of hearts and exited with the king of clubs.  Freeman was in
control.  He won the ace of clubs and crossed to dummy with the
ace of spades.  The good jack of hearts was a allowed him to
discard his losing club and make ten tricks in all, five spades,
two hearts, a club and two diamonds.
     While this may look like a "thin" game, your opponents are
going to bid it, so it is important that you do the same.  Then,
of course, you have to play up to your bidding.
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