The bidding: South, with 14 high card points, opens one club, his better minor. North, without a four or five-card major, chooses to raise his partner with five-card support. In the last column, North had eleven points and gave an inverted minor raise to two clubs. Here with six to nine, he raises to three clubs. This makes it difficult for East West to find their heart fit.
East-West can make three hearts but East cannot double three clubs with only a doubleton spade. Without an inverted minor raise, East West can find their heart fit.
The contract: Three Clubs by South
The opening lead: The king of diamonds
The play: The dummy comes down, and South takes time to think out the whole hand. He sees seven tricks for down two. He makes an attempt to set up his spades and make down one. However the defense grab their diamond and heart tricks.
The result: Three clubs down two for -100
Notes: If the vulnerability had been unfavourable, down two for -200 would be bad, but down two is rather unlucky. South’s hand being four-triple-three flat did not help.
-East West are likely to compete because they may think they are missing something if an opponent makes a weak bid.