Posted 2006-November-15, 19:20
It appears to me that the 3H bid has some merit that apparently was unintended. At the time E bids 3D I think nothing has happened to preclude N from being 3-4-2-4 or 3-4-3-3. If S doesn't want to sell to 3D he can bid 3H, passable since 3C was passable. If opener has Axxx of hearts and one of the above shapes, this might be a fine place to play: Strong trumps, ruff taken in the hand with short trumps. The bid cannot be taken as showing four since with four hearts S must have five spades for his 1S bid, and then would not have bid 3C. Playing 3H here as passable may sound strange but I think it is logical. Since, on the actual hand, opener has two more clubs than he has shown and zero more spades than he has shown, it seems 4C might be a better choice than 3S.
I don't fault either party all that much for missing 3NT. S could bid 3D instead of 3C, right on this hand but pushy. It seems to me, however, over 3H N might figure 3N is as likely to make as 3S, and pays better. So as N I think I bid either 4C or 3N, not 3S, over 3H.
Ken