The law of total tricks
This is from the cross imps session last Tuesday,
If you don't use this law much maybe this hand will persuade you of it's importance.
The law tells you that normally both sides can make a total number of tricks which add up to the total number of cards in their best suits . So here it's a total of 21 tricks based on spades and clubs. Its not exact but always a good guide. So here north south should compete to at least 5 spades and east west to at least 4 clubs. But east west are green so they should be the most aggressive especially east when partner bids clubs.
At our table the bidding went 2 spades pass 4 spades 5 clubs pass pass 5 spades passed out.
North south have bid to their "level of fit" based on their number of trumps. East west should know this given the vulnerability. They should not allow north south to play there. East west have a known fit and should bid 6 clubs probably passed out and making. Allowing opponents to play at their level of fit is usually bad. Here if 5 spades makes they go off 2 in 6 clubs. If 5 spades goes down 2 then 6 clubs should make. So LTT takes any guessing away.
Hand 5 date: 29. 01 13
North
♠ K Q J 10 7 2
♥ J 10 7
♦ 6 3
♣ 7 4
West East
♠ 9 5. ♠ -
♥ Q. ♥ A 8 6 2
♦ A K 8 5 ♦ Q 9 7 4 2
♣ K Q J 10 8 2 ♣ 9 6 5 3
South
♠ A 8 6 4 3
♥ K 9 5 4 3
♦ J 10
♣ A
Dealer: North
Vul: NS
Interesting post - in this case 5S can go 3 down if west takes a heart ruff and then underleads his diamonds to put east back in to give him another ruff - difficult defence to find at the table. It is much easier for EW to find 6C if they also know about the diamond fit.
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