Partner You
1S 2S
3H
What's your call holding ♠AK8 ♥10832 ♦654 ♣J103 ?
Partner's 3H is a help-suit game try, usually with four hearts. Holding the two top honors in his long suit, you should be happy to accept the invitation. Do you do that by bidding 4H or 4S?
Trump quality is one factor to consider, and that gives 4S an edge. Your flat hand offers no opportunities for partner to ruff his losers, so it seems logical to choose the suit that has the most power for collecting the opponents' trumps.
If you think about the play to all 13 tricks, though, 4H rates to be the better contract. The 4-4 fit frequently delivers an extra trick because declarer has the option of establishing either hand as the "long-trump" hand. Even though you don't have shortness, you know partner does, and he can score ruffs in his hand while still keeping four trumps in dummy. The 4-4 fit also allows him to create a ruffing value in your hand by discarding on the run of his 5-card suit.
Suppose partner holds ♠Q10764 ♥AK94 ♦AK2 ♣5 . If both majors break 3-2, 4S makes just 10 tricks because there's no way to develop extra trump tricks -- declarer is ruffing clubs with his long-suit winners. 4H, however, will make 11 tricks. If either major breaks 4-1, club leads can set 4S but not 4H.
Playing in hearts, partner can ruff one or two clubs in his hand, cash the ♥AK and then run spades, pitching a diamond from your ♦654. The opponents will take their trump trick (or tricks) when they choose, but your dummy will still have at least one heart to take care of partner's diamond loser.
These benefits make a 4-4 fit worth seeking, even when you already know how high you want to bid. In the above auction, if opener had a stronger hand -- ♠QJ1076 ♥AKJ4 ♦AK2 ♣5 -- he could jump directly to 4S over your 2S response. A better choice is 3H, just in case you have 4-card support and can raise. If not, he can settle for the spade game.
Responder should also make an effort to explore all options. After partner opens 1S, there's no hurry to raise spades when you hold ♠AJ10 ♥KJ72 ♦J76 ♣A52 . You'd like to hear partner's natural rebid, so grit your teeth and respond 2C to establish a game-force. If partner rebids 2H, you've found a better game (or possibly slam).
Choosing a 4-4 instead of a 5-3 fit will pay dividends on many deals, but not all. Before you act on this advice, try to predict a likely line of play and focus on how your trumps will be used. An auction that's uncovered two fits gives you a good picture of partner's distribution, but your own hand will often provide all the clues you need.
In general, a 4-4 fit will be superior to a 5-3 in these situations:
The 4-4 suit is a major.
You expect that one or more ruffing tricks will be required to make your contract.
Ideally, both hands have shortness, giving declarer a choice of where to take ruffs. If you envision a cross-ruff, the 4-4 fit can provide more tricks and easier transportation.
If the 3-card hand has no ruffing value, its side suits offer the possibility of taking a useful discard.
You have enough combined strength and controls to take advantage of the discard opportunity.
With
other types of hands, the 5-3 fit may be the safer, more practical choice. More
about these exceptions in the next issue.
© 2014 Karen Walker