[jillybean]

l

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Lead ♦5 tricks = 8

OT 1C P P 1N (11-16) lead ♦j tricks = 8

+5imps

[mikeh]

1. S should bid 1♠ in response to the double. Bidding 1♥ might be as good as 1♠ should N pass, but when N takes another call, and this is entirely foreseeable given the start to the auction, S is poorly placed to find a 4-4 spade fit without forcing the auction too high should it not exist.

Compare the actual auction: S bids 1♠ and now, if he wants to bid (see later), he bids 2♥, which would allow N, with 3=2 or 3=3 majors to give preference at the 2 level. As it was, for N to give preference, he would have had to bid at the 3-level.

2. S's second call was the more costly error. He should have got away with the 1♥ call by passing 1N. I assume 1N was taken to be about 15-17. S has a clear pass of a strong 1N opening bid, so has an equally clear pass of the 1N rebid

3. I have no idea what N thought he was doing with 3♦. Admittedly, he should take S to be at least 4=5 majors, but S has to have a poor hand not to have bid more strongly earlier. I would bid 3♥ as N. Of course, that works out even worse than the actual auction, but at least no one can accuse me of resulting here

4. S had become the victim of his own misbidding, compounded by N's 3♦, so 3N was the least of evils.