Minor suit, steer toward no-trump

Seneca, a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman and dramatist, said, “If a man does not know to what port he is steering, no wind is favorable to him.”

First today, look at the North hand and the start to the auction. What should North rebid over three diamonds?

Bridge players ought to know that when they have no majorsuit fit and the values only for game (not a slam), they should steer toward three no-trump. Only contemplate five of a minor if confident that three notrump will fail.

In this deal, North should rebid either three hearts (which gives partner a chance to show three-card spade support or to bid three no-trump with a club stopper) or three no-trump (which is the most likely game).

Note that if North is in three no-trump, East will surely lead the club five, which gives declarer three tricks in the suit. He wins in hand, plays a diamond to the queen and ace, then returns a diamond toward his nine. He cannot be defeated.

At the table, North raised three diamonds to four diamonds. South control-bid four hearts in case his partner was thinking about a slam, but North signed off in five diamonds.

West led the heart five: jack, queen, ace. If South had played the ace and another diamond, he could have survived. Instead, he played three rounds of clubs, ruffing the last on the board. Then he led the diamond nine to the queen and ace. With perfect guesswork, declarer could have gotten home, but he understandably continued with a low diamond and lost three trump tricks to go down one.