The vulnerability is often relevant

Madeleine L’engle, an author of young adult fiction, wrote, “When we were children, we used to think that when we were grown-up we would no longer be vulnerable. But to grow up is to accept vulnerability . ... To be alive is to be vulnerable.”

At the bridge table, vulnerability is for children — or so some people will tell you. But it does have a major influence. For example, you push more aggressively for vulnerable games than for nonvulnerable because the bonus is so much larger.

You should also be swayed by the vulnerability in competitive auctions. In this deal from the World Youth Team Championships, one South did far too much bidding, and his opponents made him pay a steep price.

The first double by West showed four or more spades. His second was for penalty.

Why did South bid three hearts? I am guessing that he knew his side had a nine-card fit, and the Law of Total Tricks advises bidding to the three-level in a competitive auction. However, in this instance, how was it going to help? East’s three-club rebid was most unlikely to end the auction, and look at the prevailing vulnerability.

Clement Laloubeyre from France (West) cashed his two top spades and gave his partner a spade ruff. Gregoire Lafont (East) took his high diamonds and led a third round, West overruffing South’s heart seven with his queen. The fourth spade was ruffed in the dummy and overruffed by East with his heart king. That was down three, plus 800 to East-west, double the score from three no-trump or five clubs for East-west.