Mark Twain said, "A round man cannot be expected to fit in a square hole right away. He must have time to modify his shape."

At the bridge table, if you find a fit with your partner and have a hand with good shape (distribution), be optimistic; you will win more tricks than your combined point-count would suggest.

What do you think of the auction on this deal from a social game?

The first round was predictable (although a tournament player sitting West would have bid a pre-emptive three hearts, knowing that her side had at least a nine-card fit). Then North should have settled for four spades. His optimistic four-heart splinter bid showed a maximum pass, good spade support and a singleton or void in hearts. But since a slam was so unlikely given his singleton, he should have had a void.

Now East should have bid five clubs. (Yes, East would often have five clubs to introduce the suit, but it is more informative than five hearts, helping partner to judge her hand's value.) Note that five hearts is unbeatable. (If East had bid five clubs, maybe South would have doubled, then hoped to beat five hearts. Bidding five spades would not have been clear.)

To make matters worse for East-West, East did not find the winning defense against four spades. He won the first trick with his heart king and understandably shifted to his diamond. But declarer won, drew trumps, and conceded two clubs.

East had to switch to a low club. West would have won with her king, returned her second club, and received a ruff for down one.

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