Failure to outbid partner costs player tricks

“I’ll tell you the words I least want to hear,” Cy the Cynic said to me. “We should have bid seven.’”

“Why?” I asked. “Because you hate to miss a grand slam?”

“No,” Cy said, “because I know my partner is about to go down at six.”

Cy was today’s North. When West preempted, Cy cue-bid four clubs to show a strong hand — probably with length in both major suits since he could have doubled for takeout with a three-suited hand.

“When my partner bid four hearts,” the Cynic said, “I risked a raise to six. He thought for a long time and passed. When he saw dummy, he apologized and said he should have bid seven hearts. I knew right then we were doomed.”

South ruffed the Lirst club in dummy and took the A-Q of trumps. When East discarded, South tried dummy’s A-K of spades, but West ruffed and led another club. Declarer ruffed in dummy again and ruffed a spade with his last trump, but he had to lose a spade.

“I knew it,” Cy said gloomily.

Six hearts was a reasonable contract, given that West’s bid increased the chance of bad breaks. South should take the ace of trumps at Trick Two, cash the ace of spades, lead a diamond to his ace and return a second spade toward dummy. If West ruffs, dummy plays low, and South can later draw the missing trump and ruff a spade with his last trump to set up the suit.

If West discards on the second spade, South wins in dummy and ruffs a spade with the queen of trumps. He ruffs a club and ruffs another spade. West can overruff, but South has the rest.