His partner's bid of two hearts following North's double showed length in both major suits.

"Early bids show we have a shot at it."

Partnership agreements vary as to whether this bid shows a side ace or king.

West, whose bid had shown the winning road, was left to reflect that silence is often golden.

That bid would show a heart fit and a desire for a club lead.

Some players would use an intermediate bid, such as six clubs, to show one top honor.

Other bids show the same shape as versus a strong no trump and promise opening values.

A bid just below game in the agreed trump suit shows that a player still has some slam interest.

The three no-trump bid showed exactly what North held, 16 points with 4-3-3-3 distribution.

All other bids show reasonable hands, generally in the eight point range.