Majors? We Don’t Need No Majors!

Both Vul
IMPs
Dealer: West
Lead: 9

	Maestro 7 6 4 3 2 9 K J 9 8 4 2 3
pinewynd A 8 5 K 10 5 Q 6 A 10 7 5 2		samiko27 9 J 8 7 4 A 10 5 3 J 9 8 4
	frances1 K Q J 10 A Q 6 3 2 7 K Q 6

West 1 1NT Pass Pass

North Pass 3 4 Pass

East 1 Pass Dbl

South Pass 3NT Pass

 

It is difficult, usually, to hide a five-card major if you enter the bidding after the opponents have bid two other suits, but today’s hand is an object lesson in how it’s done. On the first round North might consider a two diamond overcall, although it’s somewhat dangerous at unfavorable, and South might venture a courageous 1S over samiko’s 1H. But Gee as North, having apparently evaluated his hand as too weak for a two diamond overcall, is now strong enough for 3D, which hides the five-card major and displays a certain blithe indifference to the vulnerability. South bids 3NT, corrected by Gee to 4d, down 800 after a trump misguess with the spade game cold.

But the real expert distinguishes himself by the care he takes for his partner’s feelings in the post mortem.

frances1: partner a little whimsical…
Gerard: I bid because you don’t… Had I known you had all those spades I would never have gone for it
Gerard: you had a big hand
frances1: but Gerard if you had to bid…at least x you had two suits… with my hand I would know you didn’t have much

Good thing they cleared that up to avoid future disasters. Isn’t that what really matters?