When I watched today’s deal in an online game, I was surprised to see West pass as dealer. The modern obsession with obstructive bidding has led many players to ignore the textbook requirements for preempts and weak two-bids, especially at favorable vulnerability.

Many Wests would have opened two spades. But bridge is still a partnership game, and if you promise a six-card suit when you don’t have one, your partner may misjudge. In my old-fashioned opinion, abandoning discipline is not a route to consistently good results.

After North opened one club, South bid one heart and West came in with one spade. North raised to two hearts; in many partnerships, he would have made a “support double” to show three-card support. (A raise to two hearts would promise four-card support.) South’s hand called for a four-heart bid, though he must have been worried about his three low spades.

West led the king and ace of spades, and East followed with the ten and deuce, masquerading as a man with a doubleton. When West continued with the jack, South fell for it and ruffed with dummy’s jack to avoid an overruff. Then East’s trumps were worth a trick, and he also got the ace of diamonds. Down one.

South should not have been taken in. If West had a good six-card spade suit, he surely would have opened two spades. And even if West had passed, for whatever reason appealed to him at the time, he would have jumped to two spades, preemptive, at his second turn.

South should have ruffed the third spade low in dummy.

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