No one has commented yet, but I just received an email from Cyrano de Bergerac. He points out that when W gives his partner a diamond ruff, he has the choice of 4 different diamonds to lead. When he actually leads the 5, it’s not too hard for E to read that as meaning “lead a club!”. Life may not be a dream, but bridge often is.

I was waiting to hear back from my most frequent partner on the BWTA, and now I have.

How would one bid this North hand?

Jxx
KJx
AQ98xx
x

Would you really bid 3S?

Hi David,

Thanks for “nosing” around. Declarer can partially hide the meaning of the 5 by falsecarding the 7 and the queen on the diamonds, but that ruse shouldn’t work, although the declarer’s distribution (his 4 heart bid) transmitted no side suit evidence.

No doubt, the high-level game is often a fencing match between a wily declarer and his opponents, but on this hand your side should win by at least a nose. Jimmy Durante might have been a terrific player.

Hi Jim2,

This type of bidding is something like early explorers must have experienced as they traversed the square earth and found it round.

When the partner of the diamond bidder has already announced a big enough diamond bid and heard his partner now bid where most of his side values lie, yes, it is possible to mark time with 3 spades, probably denying any type of club stop but still leaving it up to partner to guide us to shore, by merely making a noise of 3 spades. No one could conscientiously critcize a jump to 5 diamonds or even a 4 diamond weakness effort instead, but perhaps this hand just has 9 tricks with the 6th diamond we hold and, of course, partner showing a club stop, which he had not at that point.

It takes getting used to, and I haven’t necessarily taken it 100% to heart, but at least, probably like you and your partner, can understand why we might bid 3 spades.

Remember 3 spades is the last train before you bypass 3NT so that is always a consideration.

Thanks for allowing me your ear.