Unlucky Louie displays fine bidding judgment

“Let me show you a deal in which I displayed fine bidding judgment,” Unlucky Louie told me in the club lounge.

I groaned inwardly, but Louie produced today’s layout and plunged into his narrative.

“I was East,” Louie said, “and after two passes, I opened four hearts. South overcalled four spades, and after two passes, I doubled to show my extra defensive strength.”

“So with probably the best hand at the table,” I sighed, “you preempted and then expected your partner to know what to do?”

“He passed,” Louie said, “and led his singleton heart. I won with the ten and led the ace — my highest remaining heart as a suit-preference signal. Declarer ruffed with the jack of trumps, and my partner discarded instead of overruffing with a sure trump trick.

“South next took the ace of trumps,” Louie went on, “and led the nine. My partner put up the queen and duly led a diamond to my ace. Then I led another heart, and whether declarer ruffed high or low, he had to lose a trump to partner’s eight. Down one.

“I would have gone down at four hearts,” Louie said proudly, “but my tactical opening bid pushed South into a losing contract.”

I don’t think much of Louie’s “preempt” with 16 high-card points. I wonder what he would have thought about his “fine judgment” if South hadn’t misplayed. At Trick Two, South must discard his diamond loser instead of ruffing. On the next heart, he ruffs with the jack, winning. He takes the ace and leads the nine, and the defense gets only one trump trick.