The eight of spades went to the ace, The king came next and when that held, East led the four of spades. West trumped with the four of diamonds and led a club, the suit that appeared to be indicated by the spade spot.
East won the ace of clubs and played the ten of spades. West trumped with the nine. The nine of clubs came back and East trumped with the two of diamonds. The nine of hearts went to West's ace. Here was the position after the first seven tricks:
A small heart came around to South who had to play a trump. He cashed the ace and king of diamonds and when the queen refused to fall, he was forced to concede yet another trick to the defense. Down three for minus 300.
This was a difficult hand for the North-South pair. Three pairs were minus 300, one was minus 200, one was minus 100, and four pairs registered plus scores: 80, 110, 200, and 300.
For an auction that appeared very normal, the hard part is identifying the mistake(s). Should South open one diamond? With eleven high card points and a four card major (plus a singleton) it is very reasonable to open this hand. If the game was rubber bridge, you could make the argument that the hand was not strong enough for a vulnerable opening bid - but at matchpoints one diamond would be very normal. West's pass is correct, as is North's one heart bid. What about East? This is probably the best hand at the table, but he cannot double because he has no tolerance for clubs. He should have a five card suit for his one spade bid, but he is really only trying to show his partner that he has some points and would like a spade lead if South becomes declarer.
So now it comes back to South. I don't think he has a difficult decision at all. Even with a six card diamond suit he has to pass. He had a very minimum opening bid and he has only one heart for his partner's suit. He is in the direct seat and he holds four spades. There is no reason to bid two diamonds! This is a very common mistake. During the auction you must realize when you are in the "direct" seat and when you are in the "pass out" seat. If you are in the direct seat and you bid, it is considered to be a free bid and should show additional values to anything that you may have shown previously. Even with six diamonds, the South hand has nothing to say. When it gets back to North, that player will realize that he also has nothing to say and as strange as it may seem, defending one spade will provide a much superior result for the North-South pair.
Don't lose track of the vulnerability or the position, they are both a very important part of this game.
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