Previously, two columns have covered responding to a minor opening. Today, we will continue with an invitational hand.
The bidding: North opens one club, and South does not have a four-card suit.
He has a limit raise in clubs. In the past, South would jump to three clubs and North and South would no longer have any room to investigate stoppers to play 3NT. Instead, South bids two clubs, an inverted minor raise, showing five clubs, no four-card majors and 10+ points.
If North has both majors stopped, he would bid notrump, but he bids two spades showing a spade stopper and no heart stopper.
They are only worried about the major suits because without a lot of major cards, diamonds are considered to be stopped. South has a minimum with hearts stopped and bids two notrump. North cannot go to game opposite 10 to 12 points and passes two notrump.
The Lead: West leads the ten of spades, the top of a sequence.
He should not lead a heart because South has shown a heart stopper and the ace waits to capture the king.
The play: East wins the ace and switches to the jack of hearts. When dummy is one's right hand opponent and one sees nothing in a suit, one tries to lead the suit.
It is even better when one also has nothing in that suit because partner has points in the suit behind the declarer. East and West take four hearts, one spade and one diamond, setting two notrump by one trick.
This was the correct contract and the correct result. Sometimes, one bids correctly and it just does not work.
Result: Two notrump by South down one for -100.
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