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Board 34: If East's long suit were a major, a 2C opening would be reasonable, but here game is unlikely if partner passes the recommended 1C opening. West responds either 1D or 1S according to style or taste -- bidding diamonds has a slight edge at getting to the right spot, while an immediate spade bid assumes that the enemy may benefit more than partner. There is somewhat more reason to respond 1D if opener tends to open 1C with 4-5 or even 4-4 in the minors, and there is more reason to respond 1S if opener prefers to open 1D with both minors. My style is to open 1C with 4-5, and rebid the clubs if stuck for a bid, so I would tend to respond up-the line.
Over 1D, East can visualize a slam opposite Axxx in diamonds if the clubs run or the Queen can be ruffed out. The Ace of spades, however, will not be as useful; a heart lead may establish a trick for the defense before trumps can be pulled. Rather than launch into 4NT or the equivalent (4D as Minorwood, or 4H as Kickback), East should consider other slam moves. A jump to 3D would be merely game-invitational and could be passed, so that's not an option. 4D (if not agreed as Minorwood) is 100% forcing and invites West to cue-bid; that would useful if East had, say, the Ace of diamonds rather than the Ace of hearts. A jump to 4C suggests long, powerful clubs along with good diamond support. The best descriptive bid, however, is a 3S splinter (yes, opener can splinter, too, and splinters are useful over minors as well as majors.) 1S and 2S would both be natural, the latter being a game force, and opener has no use for a preemptive bid, so 3S shoudl logically be a fit showing bid of some sort and splinter raises are the popular treatment -- 4 card support, a singleton or void in spades, and slam interest. This bid also leaves 3NT as an option in case partner has concentrated values in spades.
West likes the two Aces opposite partner's slam try; with no control in hearts, a 4S cue-bid is reasonable -- hope partner doesn't think you've misunderstood the splinter! Even so, partner will have little choice but to follow through with 4NT, learn about the two Aces, and bid 6D with confidence.
North may deduce a heart lead from the bidding, but it's scary to underlead high cards against a slam, so I expect a "safe" trump to be the popular choice. Declarer quickly pulls trumps, cashes two high clubs, ruffs a club, and claims 12 tricks. So much for safety. On a heart lead, declarer must hope at least one of the minors breaks well -- Ace of hearts, Ace of clubs (hard to make the hand if clubs are 5-0 anyway), KQ of diamonds. If diamonds are 4-1, declarer cashes the King of clubs, ruffs a club with the Ace, and pulls the last two trumps in dummy. If instead both follow to the second trump, West may as well cash the King of clubs next. This can't be ruffed if clubs are 3-2, and you can possibly cope with 4-1 clubs if the defender with only one club started with only two trumps.
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