It needs power to drive high

Here is another interesting comment by Dan Quayle: “For NASA, space is still a high priority.”

When a bridge player drives the auction to a high level, perhaps at least five of a minor, he must have a good hand.

In today’s deal, South opens one club, and North responds four diamonds, a splinter bid showing a big club fit, at least game-going values and a singleton (or void) in diamonds. How should South continue the auction?

I am not fond of North’s splinter bid, because the best contract could easily be three no-trump — for example, change South’s heart ace to a low heart. I prefer a two-club inverted minor-suit raise, if the partnership employs that useful method. Without it, the hand is too strong for a three-club game-invitational limit raise.

At the table, four diamonds should have worked beautifully. South had such a powerful hand that he should have immediately used (Roman Key Card) Blackwood. That would have quickly led to six clubs. At the time, South control-bid four hearts, then passed when North rebid five clubs. But it was impossible for North to be lacking both pointed-suit aces.

Six clubs made easily when West led a spade to his partner’s ace. South had two spades, one heart, three diamonds and six clubs. But even after, say, a trump lead, declarer would have presumably won on the board, cashed the diamond ace, played a club to the ace, discarded two spades on the high diamonds, crossed to dummy with a trump and led the now-singleton spade. East could not have won.