This hand came up during a session of bridge on Bridgebase.com. I selected a table and asked to join. My partner was an expert from Argentina. We had played about ten hands with mediocre results.
When you set up your account on Bridgebase, you actually rate yourself. The site gives you guidelines, but the final decision is up to you. Playing up to your rating is the hard part.
My "expert" partner held the South cards and committed a huge error by opening this beautiful hand two no trump. First, he has only nineteen high card points. While I am not a stickler for point count, and it is standard to open two no trump with twenty or twenty-one points, this hand has a huge flaw. Even with another point in the hand, you should not open two no trump with a small doubleton in either major. The worst holding for either major would be queen and another card. The problem is that partner in very likely to transfer you to your small doubleton and then you can wind up playing a weak seven card fit.
Fortunately, I held a five card spade suit with my ace-less fifteen count. I transferred to spades; bid four clubs in an attempt to find out if partner had good spade support; asked for aces when it appeared that he did have more than two spades, and bid the small slam when he showed three aces.
The opening lead was the eight of hearts and the first two tricks went to the defense for down one. I looked at the travelling score and saw that this hand was made six different times. In each case, the opening had started with one club. Six spades from the other side of the table can not be defeated. North will always make five spade tricks, three diamond tricks, and four club tricks against any opening lead.
Had South's nine of hearts been the queen, he would have had twenty-one high card points and six spades would be easy from either side of the table.
Hand evaluation is very important. Make some very strict guidelines and don't let yourself push the boundaries that you have established. Don't be a player who is always aggressive or always conservative. There are times when each style is appropriate and you will find that a real expert knows the difference and doesn't place himself in these situations.
----