More than just preference

This hand from a duplicate game at the local club has a few tips to offer. The first problem was for South, in deciding what to open:

SOUTH (you)
♠ AKT75
♥ J
♦ AT
♣ AQJ87

The South hand is a little strong for a 1-opening. It has an expected four losers, one in each suit (assuming normal breaks where each card after the first three in each long suit becomes a winner) so if partner has a trick somewhere, game is likely.

Still, the hand is not strong enough for a game force and, with a 2-suiter such as this, a 1-opening often works well by keeping the bidding low enough that there is generally an opportunity to show both the suits. With two 5-card suits, open the higher-ranked, 1S.

North passes. But the auction is not yet over - East bids 2H. This is normally fine strategy by the opponents, coming in when you are about to stop at the 1-level so as not to allow you an easy run. When you are about to stop so low, the opponents figure you can't be too strong and so they aim to edge you up a little.

Despite North's regrettable silence so far, South is good enough to show the other suit, 3C, over which West competes to 3H. Now it is up to North - is this hand worth a bid? The auction so far is shown below:

SOUTH WEST  NORTH EAST
1S    Pass  Pass  2H
3C    3H    ?

NORTH (partner)
♠ 843
♥ A864
♦ 8743
♣ 65

If West had passed over South's 3C, North would have been obliged to "give preference" by returning to South's first suit even without any points and even, for that matter, with only a doubleton in each black suit (we assume partner's first-bid suit may be longer than the second so with equal length in both, we avoid leaving partner in the second suit).

Now that West has bid, North is no longer obliged to give preference to spades. Obligation or not, however, 3S is the right call; if South was prepared to make North bid even with nothing, then North should feel pretty happy about bidding with this hand, with a guaranteed fit, an ace and even a doubleton - about as good a hand as you could ever have and not have responded in the first case.

Figuring that North might have something decent like this to offer a "free bid" (as distinct from just obligatory preference), South decided to take a stab at game, 4S. West led the 5 of hearts, won by dummy's ace. How should declarer continue?

Take advantage of having the lead in dummy to finesse in clubs; the CQ holds the trick. While there are still trumps in dummy, it is necessary to ruff any club losers. Thus win the CA (opponents following low), and play at most one round of trumps before playing another club and ruffing it. The complete hand:

          NORTH (dummy)
          ♠ 843
          ♥ A864
          ♦ 8743
          ♣ 65
WEST                 EAST
♠ 962                ♠ QJ
♥ 952                ♥ KQT73
♦ KQJ2               ♦ 965
♣ 932                ♣ KT4
          SOUTH (you)
          ♠ AKT75
          ♥ J
          ♦ AT
          ♣ AQJ87

As you see, both opponents follow when the third round of clubs is ruffed in dummy so the remaining clubs are winners and trumps can now be drawn. When the Q-J of spades fall doubleton, you claim 12 tricks.

You were very lucky on this hand - you needed the opponents' bidding to help you reach a game that then makes with overtricks due to an almost promiscuously friendly lie of the cards. But that doesn't diminish the satisfaction does it?