An interesting hand. A small correction, I think you have the bidding diagram wrong, it shows N rather than S opening 1
and !W rather than E doubling. But that's easy enough to imagine.
Some thoughts:
Nine tricks in spades could be hard to get (Gib agrees with me!). The diamonds can be established so that W takes three tricks in spades, five diamonds and one club. That's nine tricks. But timing could get tricky.
And LOTT seems to be way off here. NS have nine hearts, EW have eight spades so LOTT says there should be a combined total of 17 tricks from a NS heart contract and an EW spade contract. But NS can be held to seven tricks (as you found out!) and EW can be held to eight, for a total of 15. Of course LOTT looks at double dummy play, and that often is very different than actual results.
I don't usually play Bergen, either reverse or original. I have no great reason for this, although the one that came up with you is a part of it. Some people play 3
as the constructive raise, others play the reverse form so 3
is the constructive raise. Some play Bergen on over a double, some people play it off. Some people play it on opposite a third hand opening, some play it off, using some form Drury. Often on BBO there is not time to sort all of this out and so I just say forget it. If playing Bergen, the reverse form might be better on this hand. After 1
- 3
then, perhaps, S could call 3
which I think should be "Well, maybe we belong in 4, maybe not" after which N, with a minimum (at best) 3
call could sign off in 3
. We are missing three aces and there are still some other issues. But again, I am saying what I think 3
should mean after a constructive 3
but no doubt there are other views. There is the age old observation: "In any conversation there is what I meant to say, there is what I did say, and there is what you understood me to say, and they are often three different things".
W/o Bergen, I might well settle, as N, for a raise to 2
. But the
T might inspire me to try 3
. I suppose that at the tables where a spade contract was reached, it began 1
- Pass - 2
- 2
. If NS still end in hearts at some level I can imagine W then leading a spade instead of his stiff club.
Bridge is interesting because often there are a great many choices, each with merit, each with defects.
Anyway, an interesting hand.