BRIDGE MASTERCLASS

What should North bid?

Compare this with the hand from yesterday, which, even though it contained 13 points, was shown to be worth no more than a pass in the same bidding sequence.

Here the difference is that North, in addition to three-card spade support, has a possible ruffing value in diamonds, as well as two first-round controls. This makes it worth raising South’s invitational bid to 4 ♠ . The inference in the sequence is certainly that, had North been able to respond 2 ♠ instead of 2 ♥ , South would have bid 4 ♠ himself.