Intended audience: Intermediate and up

N-S vul, IMPs, as south you hold: ♠- ♥K ♦AKQ97632 ♣K876. When it get to you everyone has bid a spade.

What do you bid?

There is no clear answer. Sometimes it is good to bash, and sometimes it is good to be cagey, and bid your suit at the two level, three level, etc… However it is usually good to not be predictable.

There are five good reasons to bid 5♦ and not 2♦.

1.Here I am not optimistic about slam. The club bidder is behind me, plus I only have a singleton in partner’s suit (but it is a good one). I like 5♦.

2.I think I will more often than not make this bid.

3.They may double thinking I am taking an advance sacrifice.

4.Partner should be well placed to decide what to do if the opponents bid on. He will gauge his diamond fit and knows I have some values, bidding at the five level at unfavourable vulnerability.

5.It takes all bidding space away from the opponents. Now they are the ones guessing.

The full deal:

West bid 5♠ over 5♦ and North doubled for +800. 5♦ will make unless west leads a diamond.

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