Growth spurt

Two hands from a mid-week regional Swiss event evidence how the value of a hand can grow based upon the auction:

In one match, I held ♠x, ♥JTxx, ♦Axx, ♣QJxxx.  RHO opened 1♦, I passed, LHO responded 1♠ and partner doubled.  RHO passed.

With fits for each rounded suit and controls in each pointed suit, I jumped to 4♥, in spite of holding only 8 HCP.

North ♠ Axxx ♥ Axxx ♦ x ♣ Axxx

South ♠ x ♥ JTxx ♦ Axx ♣ QJxxx

I won the spade lead with the ace in dummy and led a heart from dummy: my general plan was to draw exactly two rounds of trumps and then set up clubs and cross ruff the pointed suits.

RHO rose with the ♥Q, while LHO followed ominously with the ♥9.  RHO continued a spade, ruffed in hand.  The ♣Q was covered by the king and won by the ace.  A club back to the jack brought welcomed news that the suit split 2-2.  A second heart toward dummy disclosed that the ♥9 was a singleton.  I won the ♥A and “drew trumps” by playing clubs.  RHO ruffed in and played a diamond, won by my ace.  Another club produced another ruff for the third trump trick of the defense.  However, with all trumps accounted for, I could now claim with one more good club and a cross-ruff. +420 (on combined 20 HCP) was worth 11 IMPs as our teammates were +140 in a spade partial.

In another match, I held, all vul, ♠T9xx, ♥x, ♦xxx, ♣JT9xx.  Pard opened 1♣ and I passed.  LHO balanced 1♥ and partner was there with 1♠.  RHO offered 1NT.

Given my initial pass, I have a great hand!  Envisaging for partner something like ♠KQJx, ♥xxx, ♦x, ♣AKxxx — maybe more –, I now bid 3♠, possibly as a two-way shot, successful if either side could make game.  Partner raised to 4♠ and received a small heart lead.

North ♠ T9xx ♥ x ♦ xxx ♣ JT9xx

South ♠ AKJ7 ♥ AJTx ♦ x ♣ AKxx

The 1NT advance suggests that, in addition to a clear diamond loser, a spade and a club must be lost, too.  With so much work to do — setting up clubs, ruffing red suit♠ –, probably spades must split 3-2 and clubs 3-1.  This suggests that needed distributions of opposing hands are 3=3=4=3 for West and 2=5=5=1 for East.  Three spades, four clubs, and the ♥A produces eight tricks.  With the defense having attacked hearts, seems like the last two tricks must be either two heart ruffs or one heart ruff and a second heart trick by power.

East played the king on the heart lead and declarer won the ace.  If the ♥K is an honest card, then a ruffing finesse in hearts will produce a second heart trick and only one ruffing trick is required for contract.  Trusting that card seems the easiest route to ten tricks (there might be other successful plans).  Indeed, the missing hands were, I believe:

Dealer: S Vul: NS	North ♠ T9xx ♥ x ♦ xxx ♣ JT9xx
West ♠ Q8x ♥ Qxx ♦ Qxxx ♣ Qxx		East ♠ xx ♥ Kxxxx ♦ AKJxx ♣ x
	South ♠ AKJ7 ♥ AJTx ♦ x ♣ AKxx

Although the actual play and defense differed from the suggested approach, game did make for +620 on 21 combined HCP, and 11 IMPs when matched against -110 (contract unknown to me) at the other table.