Urgency to preempt is not great

I don’t care for South’s opening bid of four hearts. South had defensive values as well as possible losers in his suit. East had passed, so the urgency to preempt wasn’t as great.

As it happened, EastWest could make one club but nothing else, so South had to make four hearts to show a profit. North produced a sterling dummy, but when West led the queen of trumps, South took the A-K (West played the 10) and led a third trump, hoping for a 3-3 break. West won and shifted to the four of clubs, and when East took the ace, he shifted in turn to a spade.

Declarer won with dummy’s ace and started the diamonds, but West ruffed the third diamond and cashed a spade. Down one.

South’s opening bid was a matter of judgment, but his play was clearly wrong. After he takes the top hearts, he should start the diamonds. West can ruff the third diamond, but if the defense cashes a club and shifts to spades, South discards his last spade on dummy’s fourth diamond, losing only two trumps and a club.

DAILY QUESTION: You hold: ♠ A852 ♥ None ◆ AK743 ♣ 10853. You open one diamond, your partner responds one heart (as you knew he would), you bid one spade and he jumps to three hearts. What do you say?

ANSWER: Your opening bid, with three Quick Tricks, was quite proper. Partner’s second-round jump in his own suit is game-invitational, not forcing. He has six or seven good hearts and 10 or 11 high-card points. Pass. To make any other call would be masochistic.