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Bridge
By Philip Adler
Judith Martin, who is better known as Miss Manners, said, "We are born charming, fresh and spontaneous and must be civilized before we are fit to participate in society."
To participate effectively in a bridge deal, we hope to find a fit with partner. This week we will look at the factors affecting your choice when you have two fits. First, should you prefer a 4-4 fit or a 5-3 fit?
Almost always, you should pick the 4-4. If the 4-4 fit is a side suit, you will get at most four tricks. But if it is the trump suit, you will often get an extra trick by ruffing a loser in one hand or the other. And a 5-3 side-suit fit will usually provide two discards on the fourth and fifth cards. But if the 5-3 fit is the trump suit, it will rarely furnish a sixth trump trick from a ruff in the shorter trump hand.
Look at today's deal. How does South get on in four hearts or four spades?
In the auction, North might have started with a negative double to show his four hearts, especially as his singleton made his hand a tad strong for a single spade raise. After the spade raise, the South hand was just worth game, but he wisely showed his heart suit. Then North raised to four hearts, a tad worried about his weak trumps.
Against four hearts, West should realize that East is highly unlikely to have an entry, so should start with three rounds of trumps. But South can easily restrict his losers to one spade and two trumps.
In spades, West can cash his two high hearts and give his partner a heart ruff. Then West's trump trick defeats the contract.