“Do you use transfer bids?” a club player asked me, referring to the method in which (for example) a responder to a 1NT opening bid, holding KQ965,76,A54,Q102, bids two hearts, asking his partner to bid two spades. Then responder bids 3NT, offering a choice of games.

“Sure,” I said. “All expert partnerships use them.”

“Well, my partner has adopted a new application of the idea,” he grumbled. “If the opponents bid four hearts and partner has a spade suit, he says their bid is a ‘transfer,’ demanding that he bid four spades.”

I’m familiar with that four-over-four rationale: Four spades may be makeable or a good save. My friend displayed today’s deal.

“When West opened one heart and East leaped to four, partner ‘accepted the transfer,’ as he put it. He bid four spades.”

South ruffed the second heart and led the king of trumps, and West correctly ducked. South then led a diamond to dummy and returned the ten of trumps: discard by East, deuce, jack. West forced South to ruff another heart, won the next trump with the ace and led a fourth heart. South ruffed — with his last trump — and West’s seven won the setting trick.

“Four hearts would have failed,” North said. “So much for my partner’s theories.”

South could justify his bid. He can afford two trump losers but must keep control in case of a 4-1 trump break. At Trick Three South can lead a low trump. West can’t gain by playing low. If he takes the jack and leads a third heart, South can ruff with dummy’s ten, preserving the trump length in his hand to draw trumps.

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