One out of four

Will you be able to find out which one of the suggested four hands corresponds to North’s bidding in the given bidding sequence and say what you would have done with the three others?

When the opponents make a mess in the bidding, it is more difficult to understand each other! Even South’s bids, which may seem simple, are vaguer than in times of peace. One thing is for sure: South has four spades. But his strength and distribution are not so clear… He had to show his fit before the expected 4♥ bid from West. This 3♠ bid can be made with any hand in the first zone or with a bad hand of the second zone. Being pushed by the pre-empt, South could have decided to bid game directly with an elegant hand in the second zone. To conclude: South can have a 4-4-3-2 with 12 points just as well as a 4-4-4-1 with 15!

Even though the bidding is less under control than usually, why did North bid 5♠ rather than 4♠? To have voluntarily gone higher than game, North is certainly interested in slam. But did he not have an easier bid? Maybe, but then it did not correspond to his hand! Our protagonist must be faced with a difficulty: either he is not quite sure to have enough to bid slam, or he lacks a control.

Are you ready? Let’s go!