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Board 2: East opens 1H. South has just enough strength for an overcall (basic guideline is 8 hcp with a good suit at the one level, 10 at the level, 12 at the three level, etc.) but the club suit is too weak, especially vulnerable. Ron Klinger suggests adding the number of honors in your suit to the length, the result should equal the level of the overcall; I recommend also having at least 5 hcp in the suit or compensating additional values. QJxxx fails both tests. Assuming South and West pass, North has a fine hand in the balancing seat. With 14 working hcp and 5350 shape, what should North bid? Firs thing to understand is that 2H isn't Michaels in the balancing seat; it is used instead for a powerful, freakish hand unsuitable for a double. The club void suggests that if you double, that's the suit partner will bid, so on that basis the hand qualifies for 2H, but the overall strength is not that wonderful. I suggest a simple 1S balancing bid, planning to bid strongly if partner shows any sign of life.
East has no reason to bid again in the face of partner's pass. South's hand shoots up in value with the big spade fit, but South must remember North's bid was in the passout seat -- don't punish partner for not selling out to 1H. I would expect partner to have nine or more hcp but not necessarily a good suit. South can cue-bid 2H as a limit raise, leaving room for North to sign off at 2S with anything less than an opening bid.
With the announced fit, North revalues his hand at five losers and can expect partner to cover three or four or more of those -- definitely in slam territory. 3D at this point would be mildly natural and sound like a game try; this isn't usually a good idea with a solid side suit since you cannot expect partner to have a fitting honor. What about 4D? Many partnerships would play that as a splinter (singleton or void.) So, if that's your style, 4C to show the shortage will be an obvius slam move. On today's hand South looks skeptically at his wasted club honors and singleton diamond; the King of hearts appears to be well placed, but there may be some risk of a singleton with West. I'd settle for 4S and that should end the bidding. Slam makes on the lucky 2-2 spade break, but bidding a slam missing both a key card and the trump Queen is generally a poor bet. +680 scored 20 out of 25 (80%). [Edit -- I misread the results when I first posted, reading down a column instead of across a row.]
Board 6: East opens 1NT (15-17) and West has 1543 shape with 11 hcp. After transferring to hearts, how should West proceed? A normal auction would coontinue 3D by west, forcing to game and suggesting a black suit singleton and/or slam intererst -- with 2542, West would likely rebid 3NT. East fits the diamonds but notrump is always the highest priority -- East continues with 3S, a "concentration of values" bid that carries the message "3NT is fine if your singleton is in spades." With little more than game-going values, West ends the bidding at 3NT. Note that the fact East actually has a spade suit is irrelevant -- if West had spades, he would's started with Stayman rather than a transfer. If West's singleton had been in clubs rather than spades, he could rebid his good hearts and game would be reached in hearts or diamonds.
Paying attention to the bidding, South leads a club rather than spade. With AQx in third seat, North plays the Queen, not the Ace -- this is standard against notrump. If partner has the King it won't matter which card North plays; if declarer has the King and North mistakenly plays his Ace, declarer can hold up his King as needed. Playing the Queen virtually forces declarer to play his King for fear of a continuation back to South's Ace. When the defense next gets the lead the suit can be cleared. East may fear losing the lead to either defender and cash out for +600 for a cold bottom.
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