On occasion, silence is golden

Brigham Young said, “Silence may be golden, but can you think of a better way to entertain someone than to listen to him?”

At the bridge table, everyone likes to bid, but sometimes silence works better.

This deal was played 14 times at Bridge Base Online. Look at the East hand. You are the dealer with neither side vulnerable. Would you open three clubs?

Assuming you decide to pass, South opens two spades, West passes, and North responds two notrump. This is an artificial inquiry, usually meaning that North is thinking about game in his partner’s suit. Would you (East) bid three clubs now?

I think there is a good case for a three-club opening. Yes, you have only a six-card suit, but it is powerful. Here, that would silence South and West, and North would presumably balance with three hearts, which would probably end the auction.

After East passed, South had a textbook weak-two opening, and North asked his partner whether he was minimum or maximum. At 12 tables, East sensibly passed again — his ship had sailed. Every South rebid three spades to show a minimum, and each North passed.

But twice, East now bid three clubs, one round too late. When South rebid three spades, North, judging that South had nothing wasted in clubs, raised to four spades.

West led the club queen and shifted to a low trump. Declarer won with dummy’s queen, cashed the top hearts, discarding a club, ruffed a heart, ruffed a club and threw his last club on the heart jack. West’s ruff cost his trump trick, and the friendly diamond position let South get home.