A Tough Hand To Bid.
Bridge Column for February 1, 2002, Harvey Bernstein
North-South vulnerable.  South deals.
                              North
                              S: Void             
                              H: K Q 10 9 8 6
                              D: 10 8 4 3  
                              C: 9 6 4   
            West                             East
            S: A K 7 5                       S: 9 6 2        
            H: J 7 4                         H: 5 3 2      
            D: K J 9 2                       D: A Q 6             
            C: A 10                          C: Q 5 3 2     
                              South                         
                              S: Q J 10 8 4 3 
                              H: A          
                              D: 7 5       
                              C: K J 8 7  
          The Bidding:  
                  South    West    North    East                  
                   1S      Pass     1NT     Pass
                   2S      Pass     Pass    Pass
     This hand was played during a session on OKBridge.  It is a
good example to study for a number of reasons.  Look at the South
hand first.  One spade should be the bid of choice.  The hand is
just slightly too strong for a two spade bid and while "light"
for one spade, passing is not appropriate.
     West has a range of choices.  He could pass, double or bid
one no trump.  Pass is the 'expert' bid.  It is much better to
wait when the opener has bid your best suit.  Once responder
shows his values, West will be able to judge whether he wants to
enter the auction or not.
     North could not be faulted for passing.  It is certainly
risky to bid one no trump with a void in partner's suit.  On the
other hand, you need to have at least nine points to bid two
hearts.  Today's game is very competitive.  There are a lot of
bids that your partner could make next that would make your one
no trump response a winner so I vote for that bid.
     After East passes, the focus returns to South.  Here is what
that player knows for sure:  North does not hold three card spade
support nor does he hold more than nine high card points.  This
means that the opposition holds half of the high card points. 
And yet, neither opponent has entered the auction.  Well, each
opponent could hold a balanced ten count, but that is not likely. 
What is likely is that one of them has a nice hand with spades. 
A two spade rebid should be your last choice - a bid to be made
when there is no other option.  With the acutal cards I would
prefer to bid two clubs.  This allows partner to better evaluate
his holding and decide on a course of action.
     When South bid two spades he sealed his fate.  The defense
started with a small diamonds and wound up taking eight tricks
for a three trick set.  Had South bid two clubs, North could have
passed or bid two hearts, which South should pass.  Both
contracts should be defeated, but by only one trick, for a much
better score.
_______________________________________________________
Bernstein is a free-lance writer in Solon.