Monday, February 25th 2013

I've had some requests to copy the hand diagrams into my blog; full results are here. I usually right-click and select "open in new tab", but I'll try to copy the hands also.

Board 3 South Deals E-W Vul	♠ 10 8 ♥ Q 9 4 ♦ K J 8 3 ♣ A Q 6 3
♠ A 7 6 5 3 2 ♥ — ♦ 6 5 ♣ K 8 7 5 4	N W E S	♠ 4 ♥ J 10 7 5 ♦ Q 10 9 7 4 2 ♣ J 9
	♠ K Q J 9 ♥ A K 8 6 3 2 ♦ A ♣ 10 2

South opens 1H; West overcalls 1S, 2S or a Michaels 2H cue-bid. With six in the major I would be inclined simply to bid it, but the relatively weak suit makes 2H an attractive choice. In a major, I prefer to always have at least 5-5 shape for this bid. North has enough to force to game, but a leap to 4H would suggest a shapelier hand with fewer high cards. This distinction can be important if partner has interest in slam or if the enemy bids again. A cue-bid of an overcalled suit generally promises invitational or better values with support for partner; here, as the 2H bid implies spades, 2S looks right.

East passes, guessing (correctly) that partner has clubs, not diamonds. South counts four losers and the cue-bid suggests better than three cover cards, so slam prospects look bright. Lacking a club control, South should not leap to 4NT, but should attempt to start a control cue-bidding sequence. 3D at this point may sound like a game try, and partner's expected leap to 4H will not reveal whether he has clubs under control; better, then, to cue-bid 3S, a clear-cut slam try as long as 2S promised support. (This agreement is logical since a responder with a good hand lacking support could simply bid a new suit.) Old-fashioned cue-bidding required first-round control on the first round of cue-bidding, but it is more efficient to allow first or second round controls and then use 4NT to make sure you aren't missing two Aces or key cards.

North cooperates with 4C over 3S, and now South can safely bid 4NT. North replies 5D if playing Blackwood or RKCB (3014 responses) and South should gamble 6S. "1430" bidders will have room to check on the Queen: 4NT-5C; 5D-5S (second step = yes) or 6D (showing the Queen of trumps plus the King of diamonds.) 

Leading an Ace against a slam can be costly, but on balance is probably best in most cases against six of a suit. When dummy appears, there is little West can hope for besides hoping for a ruff; if partner has another trick coming there is little West can do to help. All 6H bidders appear to have suffered from the same defense.

With such length and strength in spades, should South have considered 6NT? Perhaps, but this depends on North's extra values. Best would be 6NT by North, protecting against a club lead (West could easily have spades and diamonds rather than spades and clubs.) I don't see an obvious way to reach that ideal contract.