Contract Bridge
1. Four hearts. There should be no doubt about game after partner responds one heart, and the best way to get there is by raising directly to four. It’s not easy to construct a hand where partner won’t have a good chance for
10 tricks.
With 19 high-card points plus the added value of the heart fit -- worth another two points or so -- facing at least six points, you can feel certain that the partnership assets exceed those ordinarily needed for game. Four hearts is not a signoff. It encourages partner to try for slam.
The main trap to avoid is a raise to only three hearts, since partner can pass that bid. It would also be wrong to bid four notrump (Blackwood), which might get you overboard if partner has a dead minimum.
2. One spade. This rebid is ambiguous -- it may be based on a minimum opening bid or a hand much better than that (up to 18 points) -- but it is far better to bid one spade than either two diamonds or two hearts. If the opportunity for you to support hearts arises later on, partner will learn inferentially that you are short in clubs, which may help him select the best contract.
3. Three notrump. Partner has at least six points for his oneheart response, which should give you enough for a game in notrump. With eight tricks all but assured in your own hand, it is not overly optimistic to think partner will provide one. A three-diamond rebid by you -which partner can pass -- comes nowhere close to picturing the potential of your hand for game or even a slam.
4. Two spades. This bid -- a jump-shift -- is 100 percent forcing. It says, in effect, that game is likely even if partner’s one-heart bid was based on only six points. The ultimate destination of the hand is not yet clear -- the final contract may be a game or slam in spades, hearts, diamonds or notrump.
There are two objections to a bid of only one spade over one heart. First, there is the possibility that partner may pass (a nonjump bid of a new suit by opener is not forcing), and that is certainly not desirable when you have such excellent prospects for game. Second, and perhaps even more important, if there is a slam in the offing, the opportunity to get there may be lost because of the failure to identify that possibility immediately.
Tomorrow: Magic touch.