April's Tip For intermediates

To open a suit you need just four cards; to repeat a suit,

however, you should try to have six cards. With five cards,

you usually have a preferable alternative to rebidding

your suit.

Hand A	Hand B	Hand C

(a) Open 1♠ but rebid 2♥, indicating your five-four
shape (see deal).

(b) You will not even bid spades once, instead opening
1NT, showing a balanced 12-14 (yes - even with a five-card
major).

(c). You do have a Rule of 20 opener (points + no. of
cards in two longest suits getting to 20). You will open 1♠
but your rebid will depend on partner’s response. Over
1NT or 2♣ you will rebid 2♦; over 2 ♦ you will raise to 3 ♦;
but over 2♥ you will understandably be loath to rebid 3 ♦,
taking the bidding to the nine-trick level with no assurance of
a fit or more than half the pack in points. A 2♠ rebid is best,
in spite of the lack of a sixth spade. Repeating a  five-card suit,
however, is exceptional.

Now onto our featured deal

What happened

The Auction: North should rebid 2♥ to show the five-four shape.
Opening Lead: ♣J

3NT failed on ♣J lead - to ♣Q and ♣K. Declarer won
♣A on the third round, knocked out ♥A, but the defence
cashed a fourth club and ♠A. Down one.

What should have happened


Opening Lead: ♣3


4♥ makes. After ♣J, ♣Q, ♣K, win ♣A and (optional)
play ♦AKQ throwing ♣4. Then lead to ♠Q. Say East wins
♠A and leads ♥3 to ♥A then ♥5. Win ♥Q, lead to ♠K,
trump ♠4, and cross-trump your way to 10 tricks. Game
made.

If you remember just one thing...
I was once asked in an interview to give one useful
piece of advice to intermediate players. This was it: Do
not rebid a five-card suit if you have an alternative.

This is Tip No. 12 (of 251!) from my What Should Have Happened book.
To buy a copy (just £13), click here.