After South’s 1NT (showing the minors as she is a passed hand), West could just blast into 4♥, but that’s a bid that would usually be made with a weaker hand.  On the other hand, if West doubles to announce a good hand, planning to bid lots of Hearts later, things might work out badly if North leaps to 5♣ or 5♦, as West will be reluctant to double the opponents (especially at this vulnerability) without having shown that Heart support.  What is really needed is a way to show a good hand with Heart support.  Some partnerships play Unusual vs Unusual but they may not have discussed whether it applies in this particular auction.  So in the absence of clear-cut agreements, we suggest a 4♥ bid, followed by a Double if the opponents push on to 5♣ or 5♦.  Not perfect, merely practical.

Is the West hand good enough for a slam try opposite a 20-21 2NT opening?  Not quite, it’s a point or two shy.  The next question is “Should West try for a 4-4 Spade fit?” to which the answer is a resounding “No!”  Here’s why:

-         E-W have more points than they need to make game, and there is an excellent chance they can make loads of tricks without the need for a ruff.

-         West’s doubleton is the ♥Q, which reduces the likelihood that there is a useful ruff in that hand.

-         The Spades are awful, and there is a good chance that No Trump will actually play better than Spades, particularly if East’s Spades are not too hot, and/or the missing trumps are 4-1.

-         Bidding 3NT directly gives the opening leader no useful information.

 So, 3NT it is!

If East is known to be a tricky fellow, you might wonder about his 3NT bid.  After all, you are looking at 15 HCP’s, and it’s quite possible that East is clowning around.  3NT down nine has been known to happen before at this vulnerability, and it would be extremely galling for N-S to write down +450 on their score-cards when they are cold for a vulnerable game.  So we would have some sympathy for a 4♥ bid here, unless East is known to be the straightest of straight arrows.  Alas for South, even tricky Easts sometimes have their bid, and 4♥ (doubled, of course) turns out to be a disaster.  The bottom line is -1100.

After the 2♦ opening, what are your methods?  Many play a new suit (such as a 2♠ bid here) as forcing, but an increasingly popular method nowadays is for a new suit (at the two-level) to be “constructive”.  Opener is allowed to pass with a rotten hand, and may go back to 3♦ with shortness in Partner’s suit.  Otherwise, she’ll bid again, and with a decent hand and 3-card support she’ll have no qualms about jumping to game.  Using this approach, we don’t think that South’s hand is quite good enough for a forcing 3♠, we’d settle for the constructive 2♠.

 South has three ways to go:

-         Transfer to Spades: This ensures that at least a 5-2 fit will be reached, but runs the risk of missing a more profitable 4-4 Heart fit.

-         Garbage Stayman: Here, South bids 2♣ and, when she hears 2♦ from Partner, she bids 2♥, which says “pick-a-major”.  This approach gets N-S to their 4-4 fit when they have one, but risks the occasional 4-2 fit when, as here, Opener is 2-2 in the majors.  The good news, on this particular hand, is that North will choose Spades, getting to the 5-2 fit after all.

-         Modified Garbage Stayman: Some play a version of Garbage Stayman whereby the Hearts are always at least as long as the Spades, which reduces the chances on ending up in the 4-2 fit.

Anyway, there are pros and cons in each of the above, but on this deal all roads will lead to 2♠ played from the North side.

The West hand does pass the Rule of 20, but it hardly looks like an opening bid, does it?  There is an alarming absence of Tens, and there are also those dubious doubleton Jacks, both of which would be more useful if accompanied by other honors.  And, if that is not enough to discourage West from opening, West also has that awkward 4-5 minor hand which can create rebid problems with weak hands.  His options would be:

-         Open 1♣ and rebid 2♣: Surely not, with such a rotten suit.

-         Open 1♦ and rebid 2♣: Some like this style, but it is mis-descriptive, better to avoid this except with certain 1-3-4-5 hands.

-         Open 1♣ and rebid 1NT: The only excuse for opening the hand would be the 5-4 shape, and to rebid 1NT with such poor values (rather than showing both suits) would be inconsistent.

 So, with a marginal opener (at best), and no satisfactory plan for a rebid, surely West would be best advised to pass.

Adherents to the Rule of 20 will open the North hand for sure, and the optimists will even consider that the possession of those three Tens constitutes substantial extra values.  Even so, as we saw with West’s hand on Board 19, there is a potential rebid problem to consider whenever we are 4-5 in the minors.  Some like to open these hands 1♦ and rebid 2♣, but it hardly seems right to open a weak 4-card suit when also holding a strong 5-card suit.  So, our own suggestion would be to open 1♣, planning to rebid 2♣ if Partner bids 1♥, and to rebid 1NT if Partner bids 1♠.

If you are going to play in 3NT, it usually pays to tell the opponents as little as possible along the way, and it usually also helps to make the strong hand Declarer.  North, with two minor suit Kings to protect, opens 1NT rather than 1♠, and is suitably rewarded when East has a blind lead against 3NT.

On the actual deal, after this unhelpful auction, East will lead a Spade, as it happens.  That will be an easy 11 tricks and +660.

Things work less well if North makes the mistake of opening 1♠.  Now one of these bad things will happen:

-         Either, N-S will end up in 4♠, a contract which makes 10 tricks  and +620 with normal play.

-         Or, N-S will avoid the 4♠ trap, but, against 3NT the defense will be warned off a Spade lead.  10 tricks and +630 with normal play.

West’s 3♣ was a Bergen Raise showing a 4-card raise and constructive values (which is to say something between a preemptive raise and a game-invitational raise).  Would you bid as North?  We certainly recommend it!  At this vulnerability there is a good chance that 5♦ will be a profitable sacrifice, and North should suggest this to partner.  But not by bidding 3♦, that might sound like a lead-director or a hand with values.  A bold 4♦ is called for here, making it quite clear to Partner that this is a preemptive effort and strongly suggesting a sacrifice.

After East bids 4♥, should South sacrifice in 5♦?  Absolutely!  At one point in the auction, South had good defensive prospects, but those prospects plummeted when North preempted in Diamonds.  Now those Diamonds values may well be worthless on defense, and 4♥ looks likely to make.  An easy 5♦ bid.

Yes, 4♥ makes 10 tricks, but no more, and 5♦ doubled is a profitable sacrifice at down three for -500.

Let’s assume that E-W are playing a 2/1 system, making the East hand not quite good enough for an initial 2♣ response.  Now, over 4♥, what’s your choice?  West obviously has self-sufficient Hearts and a very strong hand, and East is good enough to make a slam try.  But let’s not use Roman Key Card here.  East is not good enough to take charge, he merely wants to suggest slam and let West decide.  The best way to do this would be to bid 5♣, cue-bidding the Club control.  Is it quite clear that this is a slam try in Hearts and not a desperate attempt to escape 4♥?  It certainly should be.  West is quite happy to play Hearts even opposite a void, and subsequent suit bids are slam tries, not alternative contracts.

As it happens, some Wests will open the West hand 2♣, after which the auction starts:

            East     West

            2♣       3♣

            4♥        ??

West’s 4♥ says “Minimum hand, Hearts are trumps”.  East is far too good to pass here, and can bid 4♠.  As before, this bid is a slam try in Hearts, not an attempt to escape Hearts.

It’s not everybody’s style to open that hand 1NT, many would prefer to open 1♣ and rebid 3♣.  That’s fair enough, and no doubt it is a more accurate description of the North hand, but there’s a tactical advantage to opening 1NT, because (a) it preempts the opponents, (b) it gives away less information, (c) it protects the strong hand from the opening lead.  Just as, on Board 21, where opening 1NT with a 5-card turned out to be a great success, so opening 1NT with a 6-card minor works like a charm here.  As it happens, the eventual 4♥ contract will be right-sided via Texas, and the opponents will be unable to find their Spade fit.  Again, it pays to open 1NT, even though the hand is not quite out of the text-book.

Here’s what happens if North opens 1♣:

            West    North   East     South

            Pass    1♣       Pass     1♥

            1♠        3♣       3♠        4♥

After this start the final contract will be 4♥ (played from the wrong side and down one on the obvious ♠Q opening lead) or it will be 4♠ by West, which, no doubt to everybody’s surprise, will actually make!

Do you play Texas?  If so, South’s hand is a prime candidate.  Is Texas on in competition?  Yes, the standard treatment is that it is still on provided that the interference is no higher than 3♣.  So, after East’s 2♣ bid, 4♦ is Texas, right-siding the contract.

After West raises Hearts, East might be (very) vaguely interested in slam, and, more to the point, might also was wondering whether 3NT is the best spot.  So he might try 2NT, played conventionally by some as a “MinMax” bid, to which the responses are:

            3♣       Three Hearts, minimum hand

            3♦        Three Hearts, maximum hand

            3♥        Four Hearts, minimum hand

            3♠        Four Hearts, maximum hand