Lots of bidding may spill the beans

In duplicate pair events, overtricks can be so valuable. Therefore, keeping your auction to a minimum is often a good idea.

Look at the West hand. After three passes, South opens one heart, and North raises to four hearts. What would you lead?

Now move your gaze to the North hand. Partner opens one heart in fourth position. What would you respond?

Answering that question first, it is partly your methods and partly tactics. In a team game, where overtricks are worth little, you should skip to two spades, a fit-showing jump by a passed hand. You announce a maximum pass with, in principle, five decent spades and four hearts — perfect! Alternatively, although not as descriptive, you could bid two clubs, the Drury convention showing a maximum pass with heart support. (I do not see the point of two-way Drury.)

After the fit-jump, South can continue with three diamonds, but North will sign off without a club control. Unfortunately, this tells

West what to lead.

When I was North, I jumped to four hearts. I decided that a slam was unlikely, and why help the opponents with their defense? West led a passive trump, and my partner, Frani Ridder of Hobe South, Florida, took all 13 tricks. She drew trumps, ran the spades (pitching her clubs) and took the diamond finesse. There were a gazillion plus 710’s, so we received only 55.8%. However, the Norths that used Drury let East double for the lead; three Easts opened three clubs; and some were able to put in a club overcall. Plus 650 was worth a paltry 7.8%!