Shape compensates for point shortage

Michael Patrick King, in a "Sex and the City" script, wrote, "Maybe our mistakes are what make our fate. Without them, what would shape our lives?"

Often our fate at the bridge table is decided by a mistake, perhaps a misevaluation of our hand. Look at South's collection in today's diagram. East opens one diamond, South overcalls one heart, West passes, North makes a two-diamond cue-bid raise (showing three-card heart support and at least game-invitational strength), and East passes. What should South do now? (If North could have bid a forcing two clubs, that would have been sensible. A slam was not out of the question from his point of view.)

South's hand contains only 11 highcard points, but its shape makes it worth much more, given that partner has a heart fit. At the least, he should jump to three hearts to invite game, but as partner won't really know what is useful, South might as well shoot out four hearts.

East won the first trick with his diamond jack and continued with the diamond ace to tap the dummy. Declarer couldn't afford to try to draw trumps, because when he gave up a trick to the club ace, East would have cashed two more diamond winners.

Instead, South immediately drove out the club ace. East continued with a third high diamond, on which West discarded a club. But declarer ruffed in the dummy, cashed the heart queen, and discarded his remaining diamonds on the club queen and jack. Yes, West ruffed the last of these, but that was with his natural trump trick. South had the rest.