Is it ever right to bid game or slam in NoTrump when you might have a 4-4 fit in a major suit?

Yes. Let’s say partner bids 1NT, your right-hand opponent passes and you hold:

♠ K J 4

♥ A Q 10 5

♦ 4 3 2

♣ 10 9 8

Bid 3NT. Even if partner holds four hearts, you might not get to ruff with your flat distribution. Better to contract for a nine-trick 3NT than a 10-trick 4 ♥ with this hand.

Then there was board 16 at Martha’s Vineyard Bridge Club on Sept. 9. Michel Riel and Dave Donald were sitting North-South, with East dealing and East-West vulnerable:

NORTH (Riel)

♠ A 10 6 2

♥ Q 8 7 4

♦ A 7

♣ A 10 7

WEST                EAST

♠ K 7 5 4           ♠ Q 3

♥ 9 5 2               ♥ J 6

♦ J 9 3               ♦ 8 6 5 4

♣ Q J 5              ♣ 9 8 4 3 2

SOUTH (Donald)

♠ J 9 8

♥ A K 10 3

♦ K Q 10 2

♣ K 6

The bidding proceeded as follows:

East      South      West      North

Pass      1NT        Pass      3NT
All Pass

Opening lead: spade 4.

August Boehm, a columnist for the ACBL Bridge Bulletin, says that when you have a 29-point fit or better, bid 3NT instead of seeking a major-suit fit. You have so many aggregate points that your opponents probably won’t find a suit they can run and you’ll get an extra 10 points for being in NoTrump. Donald and Riel were using a 16-18-point 1NT, so Riel knew they held 30-32 high-card points.

Every other North-South pair opened in 1NT, bid 2♣ in search of a four-card major and settled in 4 ♥. They made six for +480. Donald and Riel made six for +490.