Guess the bid – conclusion

Do you recall the classic Marx Brothers movie A Night at the Opera?

It includes the following exchange between Groucho and Chico (along with Harpo keen bridge players):

Groucho: “That’s in every contract, that’s what you call a sanity clause.”

Chico: “You can’t a fool a me there ain’t no sanity clause”

Now try your hand at this simple quiz and you may begin to understand why I have mentioned it.

You have the following hand as West at game all:

 

West
♠	10 8 6 5
♥	A
♦	Q 10 6 3
♣	K Q J 4

 

West	North	East	South
	1♠	Pass	1NT*
?
			*forcing

Your mission, should you decide to accept is to guess what West decided to bid.

This is how a number of players approached the problem – and the comments of the questioner:

 

Pass?	‘You amateur.’
2♣  for the lead?	‘Third choice?’
2NT minors?	‘Pathetic.’
Shaded TO Double?	‘Ridiculous.’
Flawed 2♠ ?	‘Next.’

It was only then that light generally dawned – West overcalled 2♦ (no doubt intending to introduce his clubs on the next round). When North rebid 2♥  East (holding ♦AK doubleton) raised to 3♦ and South’s bid of 4♥  (which was easily made) ended the auction. (It was flat board.)

When we observed to our informant that publication might lead to the termination of his partnership his reply was:  ‘Print it.’