North
4
A J 10 2
A 9 2
K 9 8 6 3
East
Q J 10 7 6 2
9
J 10 3
Q 7 2
West
A K 8 3
8 6 4 3
2
A J 5 4
South
9 5
K Q 7 5
K Q 8 7 5 4
10
After East deals and passes, what should South bid, if at all?
With ten HCP, is there enough distributional value to open the bidding?
Well there is if you subscribe to the Rule of Twenty, when you add your HCP score to the number of cards in your two longest suits. Anything over a total of 20 is worth opening on. Twenty exactly is on the cusp, and a judgement has to be made. In this hand, all the points are nicely gathered in the long suits and it is worth opening.
This is quite a hand, either side capable of making game in a major. Opening on this South hand gives you the chance of ending up in a solid game contract in Hearts. Without it, the opposition will find their fit in Spades and kill the auction at 3 Spades. Indeed, many will push on to 4 Spades, which is at risk if South is on lead and plays the singleton Club 10, and East does not see the danger of not playing the Club ace on the first trick. If it is not played, the King takes and a club return is ruffed before two aces are cashed to make it one off.
In part two you will find a hand where the judgement on a hand of twenty goes the other way.