[shevek]

Scoring: IMP

no - 1♠ - 1N - no
3N - end

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Perhaps your West has the tools to recover but 3NT looks okay.

Scoring: IMP

no - 1♠ - 1N - no
3N - end

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1NT was heavy but East thought he had done well till West felt pangs of guilt.

[Jlall]

The first 1N bid was horrible, just bid 2H. You have a shaky stopper at best and a very good 5 card major. Opening 1N with a 5 card major is not the same as overcalling 1N with a 5 card major. The latter should not often be done, and when it is it should be based on some slow double stopper in their suit like KJx or something.

After the 1N overcall west should not bid 3N if he has some alternative. Some popular methods are transferring to clubs and bidding spades showing shortness, or bidding 3S directly showing shortness and 3 cards in hearts. Failing playing any methods like that I think 3N is ok, I'd rather do that than get into some 2C then 3C sequence like I would if partner had opened 1N because here they've already shown a stopper.

The second 1N is also horrible but more understandable, but I still prefer 1S. East is thinking he has great stoppers in the red suits, and doesn't really wanna bid 1S with with 18 since it doesn't show the values, so bids 1N. Again, opening 1N with a 5 card major is generally good if partner has a game going hand (1N-3N is a great auction), but generally a loser on partscore hands (even 5-2 spade fits play better when partner is weak, and 5-3 and 5-4 spade fits play much better). When you are overcalling 1N in sandwich seat with 18 it is very very very very likely partner has a weak hand. Ergo you'd rather get your 5 card major in if it's going to be a partscore hand, because you'd much rather play 1S or 2S than 1N. You may even get to games by bidding 1S thant you miss by bidding 1N (when partner has a raise to 2S or 3S but a pass of 1S).

And despite your double stoppers in the red suits, your hand is very suit oriented. You have prime stoppers rather than slow stoppers (not KQT but AKx). These argue for suit play.

After that start to the auction they should have recovered when they got a raise to 2H. First, west should double 2H for takeout. Bidding 3C is crude and old fashioned. Had west done that east would have no doubt bid 4S.

After the crude 3C bid, east made the decision to bid 3S, very questionable but look at the gold it struck! West had 4 spades and a much better hand than he might have had and PASSED!?!?!?! Passing 3S shows a lack of bridge understanding.