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2NT, Slam Killer -- Board 12: No one reached the excellent slam on this board. West likely opens 2NT, which crowds the auction. East bids 3C (Stayman) and West bids hearts. East counts 8 losers, and it is certainly plausible for a 2NT opener to cover 7 of those, but there may be wasted values in diamonds. Time to visualize: if you could choose partner's cards, would 12 tricks be cold? Try AKx AQJx xxx AQx: 2 spades, 4 trumps + a ruff, 5 clubs = 12 tricks. Partner won't always have that perfect hand, so East should invite slam, not insist on it. But what bid invites slam over 3H? Most pairs have no agreed method; I happen to play "4 other major slam try", so 4S would be a slam try agreeing hearts. This bid is "self-alerting" since it is illogical for responder to use Stayman (rather than a transfer) and then insist on the other major. However, 4S takes the partnership beyond the safety level of game.
West, though, should upgrade for all 4 Aces and open 2C rather than 2NT. Now East makes a non-bust response (2D in my usual 2H = bust method), West rebids 2NT (showing 22+), 3C and 3H as before. Now that "perfect 20" is well below West's announced 22 points, and East should drive the hand to 6H, checking on Aces or Key cards along the way. Most would take a leap to 4NT as RKCB, but playing "4OM Slam Try" 4NT should invite slam while denying hearts; East bids 4S to set hearts as trumps, and West can bid 4NT. East shows 1 key card; "1430" bidders can ask about the Queen via 5D, and then West bids 6H when East denies holding her majesty.
Double or Slam? -- Board 19: South opens 1H, and West lets that club suit talk him in to an unsound (vulnerable) overcall. North can bid 4H, of course, but why not give partner a chance for slam? 4C, a splinter raise, paints a fair picture. East cannot believe partner bid clubs; with at least 12 trumps, 6C is tempting, but the 222 outside shape provides little play value. 5C looks reasonable, neither selling out to 4H nor driving the enemy into slam. The splinter warns South of near-mirror shape; despite his excellent controls, slam looks iffy. Noting the vulnerability, South should simply double and collect at least 500, more than the value of a N/S game. (South expects 3 quick tricks in his own hand and North should provide one or two, even if East or West is void in hearts.) As it happens, 6H can make, but declarer must finesse once in spades and then play to drop the King -- not a high percentage play. Adding the 9 of spades to either hand would make slam excellent. West should take the blame for the poor score at -500.
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