You know what they say … a good day at the office

A bad day playing bridge is better than a good day at the office.  Yesterday we had a sad result in a team game.  Partly, the bridge gods seem to be in a bad mood.

On the other hand we are all about to go out to a huge Chinese buffet for Christmas and that is the end of the work day.  I think of that as a good day at the office.  This is one of the unlucky? hands.  Would you have done better?  We are vulnerable against not and this is my hand.  North  opens 4♥ in front of you.  It is your bid.

Did you do something clever or did you bid 5C (like me).  Now it is up to Francine.

You know what to do because you have seen my hand but can you logically move on Francine’s hand?  I think it would be a shot for sure.   Here is the whole hand.  Do you like North’s 4♥ bid?

Dealer: Vul:	North ♠ 6 ♥ KQ76542 ♦ A73 ♣ 98
West ♠ A93 ♥ A98 ♦ QJ842 ♣ J4		East ♠ K1075 ♥ 10 ♦ – ♣ AKQ107632
	South ♠ QJ842 ♥ J3 ♦ K10965 ♣ 5

Francine and I discussed the merits of 3♥ and 4♥ and 1♥ and pass.  I had more sympathy for North’s bid.  He is at favorable vulnerability in first chair and he has this decent seven card heart suit.  But then he has this side ace.   It seems too good for a not vulnerable three level preempt and not good enough for an opening one bid.  He was in the middle and he took the aggressive path by opening at the four level… and he got us.  I suppose some of you might have got to the club slam but it is awful lot easier when north opens at the three level.  In the other room North did open 3♥ .   Over 3♥ I might just bid 5♣ and if I do Francine with the West hand may well push on to 6.  The other option is to double.  East doubled and when West showed some values with 3NT East made a bid that worked but frankly I don’t like … he jumped to the club slam.  OVer double and then 3NT I would have bid a forcing 4C.  We would have quickly found that we had the cards for the small slam but not the grand.  But anyway, we lost a bunch of imps.

I can’t look at this board and think of anything we did wrong.  We made reasonable bids.  Did our North make the better bid?  You know what, as I look at it now I kind of like it.

But even when the cards don’t cooperate … it is still more fun to be playing bridge than eating a terrific Chinese buffet with your work buddies … (not!).