After South’s 1H opening West is too weak, with a marginal (overcalling) suit, at adverse vulnerability, to bid 1S. Remember partner is also listening and may credit you with a better hand than you possess. If N is an adherent of the (so called) law of total tricks a bid of 3H is technically possible, but the hand is far too weak and balanced for this call. East will surely double for take-out and South is strong enough to bid 3H. Now West can bid 3S, because of the strength of East’s double taken together with 5 spades and a fair club suit.

South is likely to bid 4H and East will probably try 4S; which may, or may not make.

There is a lesson here in that consideration should always be given to the danger of pushing opponents in to a game that they have not bid, but might make.

Results

3HS =; 4HS -2 (twice); 4SE +1; 5HS -2

N-S 1^st D Wostenholm & G Gebhardt….59.5% 

        2^nd W Jurgensen & G Ford………..57.0 %

E-W 1^st E Jurgensen & J Tagg………….63.0%

         2^nd K Tyndall & E Rodriguez……...54.0%