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Board 17: East opens a heavy 1D -- a strong hand, but not enough to justify a 2C opening -- there isn't likely to be a game if partner passes 1D. West has 11 hcp and 5-5 in the minors. Likely contracts include 3NT, 5D, and 6D, depeding on how much strength partner has overall and in the major suits. West can simply bid a forcing 2C; another possiblilty is a 3S splinter raise, but in a minor suit I prefer to have at least 13 hcp so that partner can be sure of enough strength for 3NT if he bids that. Over 2C, East must make a bid partner won't pass; a jump to 3D looks right in most methods. Those playing 2/1 Game Force might want a better suit for the jump, but in that case a simple 2D rebid is still forcing.
The 3D jump gets West thinking slam; lacking a heart control, West can simply raise to 4D or try a 4S splinter. Many players mistake four of a minor to be a mere game invitation, but that rarely makes sense; you should not blunder past 3NT without the values for at least the five level. Here, with both players showing good hands, 4D is far more useful as a slam try than a game invitation.
East is loaded with controls and proceeds with 4NT over 4D. West replies 5D, one ace or key card depending on style. East bids 5NT to confirm all the Aces, or perhaps 5H (playing key card) to ask about the trump queen. Since 5NT promises all the Aces, West has an easy leap to 7D. RKCB players may have more trouble: over the Queen ask, West bids 5NT (second step yes) or 6C (showing the Queen plus the club King, 5NT would be no in this case, since you can't bid five of the agreed suit.) That doesn't allow East to show all the Aces by way of 5NT, and neither player may be sure of the grand slam.
Four of eight pairs bid 6D; all diamond declarers scored 13 tricks.
Board 18: East is a tad light for an opening bid; some may say "two and a half quick tricks" and open anyway, but I would pass based on the minimal 5332 shape. West has 20 hcp and 4225 shape; since the spades are weak and both doubletons strong, I would prefer to open 2NT than to open 1C and jump shift in the crummy spade suit. Over 2NT, East counts 31-32 hcp -- enough for slam if a fit exists. But how to proceed? East can transfer to hearts, but must have clear agreements about the follow-ups. This hand illustrates an advantage of playing Texas transfers: when responder has a six card major and knows what level he wants to reach (game or slam), he starts with a four-level transfer and then passes, cue-bids or bids 4NT to check on key cards. The lower transfer is used when responder has questions about strain and/or level, and a 4NT rebid is invitational, not any form of Blackwood. So on today's hand East could transfer and follow with a slam invitational 4NT. This allows West to bid a natural 5C, which East raises to slam.
If transfer-then-4NT would be taken as Blackwood or key card, East has a problem -- his hearts aren't good enough for slam without a fit. I think I would guess to bid 6NT as East lacking any clear method to show the hearts and invite. The two aces and five card suit should give that contract some play. It would be reasonable to bid Gerber on the way (partner just might not have an Ace) but there does not seem to be any point in transferring to hearts if you can't offer partner a choice of slams. Transfer-then-5NT is another possibility, but that could be taken as the Grand Slam Force. Again, playing Texas transfers, 3D-then-5NT would be "pick a slam" while 4D-then-5NT would be the Grand Slam Force. Texas transfers come up rarely, however, so don't feel you must add yet another gadget to burden your memory.
If West opens 1C, I would expect the bidding to proceed 1C-1H; 2S-3C; 3NT-4NT. Is that invitational or Blackwood? I usually specify that 4NT is not Blackwood only when a Gerber 4C bid is available, and Gerber is only a jump over 1NT or 2NT -- so, in this case, no Gerber, so 4NT is ace or key-card asking. An alternate agreement is "notrump over notrump is always natural." Playing key card for clubs, West replies 5C (0 or 3); East bids 5D to ask about the Queen; West bids 5S (yes) or 5H (yes, with the King of hearts.) That last method might allow 7C to be reached.
Three pairs reached 6H, which seems inferior to 6NT, but opener's KJ support made that a sound contract. Top score went to 6NT -- who said anything about hearts?
Board 20: East opens 2C, planning to rebid 2NT (22-24) or 3NT (8.5 tricks unless someone else has five diamonds.) West should make a positive response in hearts: 2H if 2D would be negative or waiting, 2NT if playing 2H as a bust (2NT replaces the heart positive.) "Steps" bidders, of course, reply 2S (7-9 hcp.) It's a mistake to bid 2D "waiting" with such a good hand and good suit -- West should plan to reach slam, and showing the suit is a good first move.
Over 2H, East can simply raise to 3H -- the positive reply is game-forcing. But since West can be assumed to have a good suit, East may simply leap to 4NT, especially playing RKCB. West replies 5D (one key card.) Assuming five heart tricks, East can count 12 tricks at notrump; this is the best contract at any form of scoring, with no risk of a defensive ruff. Three pairs bid slam, two of them in notrump.
Board 25: North opens 1D and South responds 2C in standard methods or 2NT (11-12) or 2D (inverted raise.) I like the 2C bid if it isn't game-forcing and you have good agreements on the follow-ups. North can rebid 2S, which most would take as a strength-showing reverse; I consider that treatment to be obsolete (a holdover from the days of openig four-card majors) but it would work well on today's layout. South rebids 3D. North can now leap to 4H as a "self-splinter", showing zero or one hearts and slam interest. This encourages South to bid 4NT and drive to 6D. Otherwise, North can just try 5NT himself and assume that if South has only one Ace, it isn't in hearts, but if he has two, one of them may be (as on today's hand.) Another approach would be 4D by North, 4H-4S (cue-bids), 4NT -etc. As discussed above, in a game-forcing auction, 4D should be a slam try, not a bid that can be passed.
If South chooses the popular 2NT limit bid, does North know what bids he can count on partner not to pass? 3D sounds weak, but a jump to 4D should be forcing and slammish. South cue-bids 4H and North proceeds with 4NT.
If South bids an inverted (forcing) 2D, North might try 2S, ostensibly a notrump probe. South leaps to 3NT with extra values and a sure heart stopper; North must assume wasted values in hearts but has enough to try for slam anyway. Again, 4D works as a slam try, or a 4C cue-bid. Another option for North might be a 4H "self-splinter" directly over 2D if he's confident partner will be on the same page.
East may lead the Jack of hearts against 6D, hoping to build up a trick if partner has the Queen, or a trump, hoping not to give anything away. North should ruff the heart rather than guess to pitch a club at trick one; pull two rounds of trumps ending in dummy; and lead a spade toward the KQ. West, confident that dummy cannot provide multiple discards, ducks the first spade (especially if North showed spades during the bidding) hoping declarer will use another entry. North counts a spade, a heart, six trumps in hand, two more in dummy and two clubs for a sure 12 tricks, so he crosses to the Ace of clubs, pitches a club on the Ace of hearts, and leads another spade. West takes his ace and declarer claims.
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