TRUST YOUR PARTNER, ESPECIALLY HIGH UP

If you are a mountaineer, climbing a difficult peak with another person, each of you relies on the other. Bridge isn’t nearly as risky as that, but you should trust your partner over the opponents.

How would you critique the auction in today’s deal? How would five diamonds doubled have fared? What happened to five spades?

After North’s one-club opening, East should have overcalled three — or at the vulnerability, four — diamonds. Take bidding space away from the opponents, describe your hand accurately to partner and let him judge what to do later. But if East had bid three diamonds, presumably South would have responded three no-trump and made that contract.

After four diamonds, South doubles, and North has no clue what to do. Maybe pass, or perhaps four hearts, hoping partner has a four-card major.

Over one diamond, South economically mentioned his major. Then West did the same. (For serious partnerships: Yes, West could have made a snapdragon double, showing long hearts and diamond tolerance, typically a doubleton.)

North understandably jumped in spades. Finally, East, after his opponents bid game and West did not double, sacrificed in five diamonds.

When South doubled, North should have passed, trusting her partner. But, looking at the vulnerability, she moved on to five spades. Both sides played carefully, and declarer went down one, losing two hearts and one club.

In five diamonds doubled, East would have lost two spades, two diamonds and two clubs for down four, minus 800.