Good bridge players are always looking for the "perfect" contract, and that's often a 4-4 fit in hearts or spades. Even when they've already found a 5-3 fit in one major, they'll search for a possible 4-4 in the other major because it often delivers an extra trick.
One advantage of the 4-4 is the ability to develop ruffing tricks by discarding losers on the run of the 5-card suit. You're most likely to benefit from these discards when your side suits have top tricks (aces and kings) and "slow" losers (missing queens and jacks). You also need good honor strength in the 5-card suit.
That's why the 4-4 vs. 5-3 dilemma applies mainly to game-level decisions. With partscore values, you'll seldom have enough strength and controls to gain an edge in a 4-4. If you're unable to win the first or second trick in a side suit, you won't have the chance to make useful discards.
Suppose partner opens 1H, your RHO passes and you hold ♠AK105 ♥J43 ♦873 ♣1094. Do you raise to 2H or respond 1S to uncover a possible 4-4 fit?
If partner happens to be 4-5 in the majors, you can envision layouts where spades will play better than hearts, but most of those require extra values in partner's hand. If he has a minimum, 2H and 2S rate to score the same number of tricks. Discards won't be a factor because the opponents will have plenty of chances to set up and cash their minor-suit winners, long before declarer can set up the other major.
When you hold minimum values, managing the auction is more important than predicting how the hand will play in various contracts. Investigating two possible fits requires extra bidding space, even if you start looking at the one-level. The need to stay low means you'll often have to settle for a reasonable trump suit, not the higher-scoring one.
With just 8 points, you can't afford to keep partner in suspense about your heart support. This is a "one-bid" hand -- you don't plan to take a second bid unless forced -- so your response has to say as much as possible. An immediate 2H shows your support and point-count and puts partner in charge.
A 1S response can mislead partner later. If he rebids 2D and you now bid 2H, it will sound like a forced preference on a doubleton. The news about the poor fit could talk him out of making a game try that you would have accepted.
Other auctions may allow you to confirm 3-card support, but at the risk of getting too high. If you respond 1S and partner rebids 1NT, your delayed raise to 2H will suggest a "two-bid" hand with more strength. And if the opponents compete, the auction could be at the 3-level before you can show heart support.
Responding with 5-4 distribution
Your options may also be limited when you're 5-4 in the majors. If partner opens 1C and your RHO overcalls 1D, it's tempting to make a negative double with ♠KJ43 ♥K8654 ♦J53 ♣8. That gets both suits into the auction, but may bury a possible 5-3 heart fit. You don't want to double and then introduce this heart suit at the 2-level, especially over a 2C rebid. Partner is more likely to hold three hearts than four spades, so 1H is the more practical choice.
A 1NT opener gives you better chances of finding a decent fit when you hold a weak 5-4 such as ♠109763 ♥K654 ♦75 ♣J2, but there's still no guarantee you'll land in the better trump suit. Stayman -- even the non-forcing "crawling" version -- won't reveal a 5-3 spade fit.
In general, the weaker your hand,
the better it will be to play in your long suit. Give up on finding a 4-4 heart
fit, transfer to spades and hope it's a sensible contract, not a perfect one.
© 2014 Karen Walker