You hold 
xxxx 
xx 
x 
1098xxx at IMPs, both vulnerable. Your partner opens a diamond first seat, pass to your right, your bid. Don’t say the first thing that comes into your head. Expert bridge requires careful thought.
If you passed, then you need to read this column more attentively. The correct bid, surprisingly, is a weak jump shift in clubs! The full hand:
Both Vul
IMPs
Dealer: West
Lead: K
| ClassAct A Q J 2 10 4 3 A J 8 6 3 4 |
||
| jrp 10 4 A 8 6 5 K Q 10 9 7 5 A |
![[W - E]](http://gee.aaronhaspel.com/files/2012/10/t.gif) |
Maestro 9 8 5 3 9 2 2 10 9 8 6 5 2 |
| a-yummy K 7 6 K Q J 7 4 K Q J 7 3 |
| West 1 Pass Pass |
North Pass Dbl |
East 3 Pass |
South Pass Pass |
The strategy of the club bid may not be readily apparent. E/W are vulnerable. West’s opening bid means N/S probably have no slam and may not even have a game. You know the minors break badly. You even have a decent lead, your stiff diamond, against North, the likely declarer if you pass.
Now let’s take the expert view. A stiff in your partner’s suit means you can probably ruff a lot of diamonds. That gives your hand a lot more playing value. The club suit looks weak at first, but its excellent texture guarantees that N/S won’t be able to cash more than three or four trump winners. The preempt makes it more difficult for N/S to find their best fit and more likely that they will settle, sub-optimally, for penalties. And best of all, the stronger declarer will be playing the hand.
At the table N/S, denied crucial bidding room, are indeed forced to settle for penalties. Against 3CX South leads the HK. Gee wins and leads another heart, won by South, who leads a low club, killing the last entry to dummy. Trouble is, there aren’t too many entries to his hand, either. Gee ruffs a heart for his third trick, and later gets a fourth when the defenders cash the top trumps instead of promoting their C7 by playing diamonds through three times.
Yet some people just can’t see beyond the specific result: Gee’s partner, for instance, who after the hand bluntly refers to 3C as a “shit bid.” “Not really,” says Gee. “Might have avoided a slam, but even if I pass you go to 2D. Which is hardly better.”
The funny thing is I would have bid 1h on the east hand and gotten into much worse trouble! I could learn so much from the G-ster.
Worse than 1400? Much worse than 1400?
Another bad analysis by you. 1) The club suit does not have excellent texture — not even straight flush. If he had a straight flush opponents would not been able to promote C7. 2) G achieved his objective of keeping the opponents out of their best fit or NT — they did not find either of their 7 card fits. Instead they played in their 5-1 fit. So apparently you still do not understand the mind of the true expert.
The road to enlightenment is long and arduous. I content myself with small steps.
Let me try to work this one out. If Gee had passed, his partner would have rebid 2D? Let’s assume that is true, which it may or may not be, considering both vul, and your pd showed less than 6 HCP. 2D may not be allowed to play, and even if it is, even with the hands shown, 2D will not be going more than down 3 for -800 at worst opposite 3NT making overtricks for more than -600 anyway. If the par score is 3NT by NS, 2D takes a 4-5 IMP loss, big deal. So, how is -800 not much better than -1400?? How is 4-5 IMP loss not much better than 13 IMP loss? And all this is assuming NS allows 2D to play and double it, and assuming that West will rebid 2D opposite nothing. Wow, so many things in bridge that I still don’t get. This is truly a deep game for the experts.
Just a small point on the play analysis which reads in part: “and later gets a fourth [trick] when the defenders cash the top trumps instead of promoting their C7 by playing diamonds through three times.” If this was intended as a gentle jab at the defence, the jabber need be more careful for it is a certainty that the declarer in a club contract must score 4 tricks on a heart lead: the two aces, a heart ruff and a further trump, the latter arising out of the scenario actually played out or, if the defence insists on leading diamonds, by the simple manouevre of discarding a spade on the second round of diamonds, regaining trump length over South.