Monday, July 28th 2014

Click here for hands and results.

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

South opens 3S. At a team game you might consider a more cautious 2S, but 3S looks right at matchpoints. West would probably double 2S for takeout but a bare 12 hcp and 2443 shape is very light for a double at the three level. North has a lot of trick potential but taking partner for six tricks at equal vulnerability even game is far from certain. North raises to 4S. Should East try 5D? That's basically an overbid of five tricks, and if North took some time before raising to 4S you may find yourself doubled, down three or push N/S into a makeable slam.

West leads the King of hearts; declarer wins the Ace, cashes the Ace of trumps, crossruffs hearts and diamonds ending in hand, pulls the last trump and plays on clubs for either +650 or +680. Three E/W pairs played 5D, down one, and three N/S pairs reached 5S, doubled and making. The last seems likely if West doubles South's preempt (for takeout) initially.

Board 16 West Deals E-W Vul	♠ 10 5 2 ♥ 5 4 3 2 ♦ A 9 6 ♣ J 8 5
♠ A 9 7 4 ♥ J 10 ♦ K 3 2 ♣ A Q 6 2	N W E S	♠ K Q J 3 ♥ K Q 9 7 6 ♦ Q 10 8 4 ♣ —
	♠ 8 6 ♥ A 8 ♦ J 7 5 ♣ K 10 9 7 4 3

West opens 1C, East responds 1H, West rebids 1S. A jump to 4S is fine but there could be a slam if opener has enough strength outside the club suit. My partner concocted the equivalent of a splinter raise: 2D (Alert! Fourth suit artificial); 3NT-4S. We play jump rebids by responder forcing so East could simply have rebid 3S; his actual sequence logically shows short clubs (he was obviously always intending to support spades.) If I'd had, for example, the Ace of diamonds rather than the Ace of clubs slam chances would be very good. With my actual hand I passed 4S, of course.

Four pairs failed to reach 4S, two at 3NT (one scoring a top with an unlikely +660), one at 4H, one at 5S (down one.) I really can't see any reason for the bidding to proceed other than 1C-1H; 1S-4S or the equivalent; 4-4 major suit fits are usually the right strain, and there is no reason for West to assume no fit exists after 1C-1H.

Board 20 West Deals Both Vul	♠ Q J 10 6 ♥ 5 ♦ Q 9 6 2 ♣ J 10 5 2
♠ A 4 3 ♥ K Q J ♦ A J 4 ♣ A Q 6 4	N W E S	♠ K 9 2 ♥ A 10 7 6 3 ♦ 7 5 ♣ K 8 7
	♠ 8 7 5 ♥ 9 8 4 2 ♦ K 10 8 3 ♣ 9 3

West opens 2NT (20-21); East is too light for a slam in notrump or a 5-3 fit. A 5-4 fit might be a different story, however, and if not, 3NT may be better than 4H on two balanced hands with 30 or 31 hcp. So, 3C, Stayman, may be a better choice than transferring to hearts, especially if the partnership has an agreed method of showing slam interest after Stayman. So, 2NT-3C; 3D-3NT would be a reasonable auction. More common would be 2NT-3D; 3H-3NT; pass or 4H -- I chose 4H since responder does not promise a balanced hand for this sequence.

Twelve tricks are available double-dummy, but this looks complicated. In practice North may pitch a club while declarer is pulling trumps or running the hearts at notrump.

Five pairs reached slam, three making; three stopped at 3NT, with  two scoring well for +690 and +720. 

Thursday, July 24th 2014

Click here for results. Last I checked, the results were correct but the hands were wrong; I have edited those below to match the printed deal sheet.

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

South opens 1NT; North, with a flat 15, really has no slam interest and should simply raise to 3NT. Five of 13 pairs overbid to slam or 5NT. 30 - 32 hcp with no fit does not equal slam.

Board 11 South Deals None Vul	♠ Q 10 9 ♥ K J 10 6 2 ♦ 7 ♣ 9 7 5 3
♠ A J 4 3 2 ♥ 9 7 ♦ K 9 5 3 ♣ A K	N W E S	♠ K 6 ♥ Q ♦ A J 6 ♣ Q J 10 8 6 4 2
	♠ 8 7 5 ♥ A 8 5 4 3 ♦ Q 10 8 4 2 ♣

West opens 1S; East responds 2C. South may venture 2NT, not vulnerable, to show the red suits, but this seems as likely to give E/W a road map as to find a good sacrifice. Assuming South passes, West rebids 2D -- in any modern style, a new suit by opener is forcing after a 2/1 response, even if 2C is not played as a game force. (SAYC has responder promising a rebid after a 2/1, but most pairs make certain exceptions; I allow responder to pass a 2NT rebid by opener.) Making new suits forcing eliminates the need for opener to jump just to show mild extra values.

After 1S-2C; 2D, responder (with 13 hcp) must make sure of reaching game, but it isn't clear yet where the hand belongs: 3NT? 4S? 5C? 6C? Diamonds? Fourth suit artificial (2H) will keep the ball rolling. Lacking that gadget 5C is the practical bid, but the odds are very high you should be somewhere else. Here, West cannot move over 5C for fear of two quick heart losers.

So, 1S-2C; 2D-2H (artificial); 2S (nothing else to bid)-3C. No matter whether you play 4th suit forcing to game or one round, it is vital that this sequence be forcing -- since 3C last round would not have been forcing, the delayed sequence must be. Now 4C-4D (control bid); 4NT-5H/5C/5D (two Aces or 0 or 3 key cards per agreement)-6C is a plausible route to the good slam. Declarer ruffs the second heart and should try to set up a long spade rather than bank on one or the other finesse: King and Ace of spades, ruff a spade high, AK of clubs, diamond to hand, pull trumps and claim. If the spade could not be set up you could always try the diamond finesse later.

Playing 2/1 game force, responder simply rebids 3C. Opener may stall with the fourth suit (3H), and responder continues with 3S. This suggests a doubleton honor as responder would've supported earlier with three trumps. Four spades might be the best game but opener has excellent controls so 4C seems right. Responder can control-bid 4D but whether slam will be reached or not looks to involve some guesswork.

If South buts in with 2NT over 2C, West should double to show extra values. North leaps to 4H and East must guess: 4S? 5C? 6C? Slam looks like a stretch missing four key cards, so 5C may end the bidding. 5C was the popular contract and declarer needed twelve tricks for a good score.

Board 16 West Deals E-W Vul	♠ Q J 10 9 6 ♥ A 8 ♦ Q ♣ A K 10 9 7
♠ K 4 3 ♥ J 9 2 ♦ 10 9 8 5 ♣ 8 3 2	N W E S	♠ 8 5 2 ♥ Q 10 4 3 ♦ 7 3 2 ♣ J 6 4
	♠ A 7 ♥ K 7 6 5 ♦ A K J 6 4 ♣ Q 5

North opens 1S. Some might prefer 1C but the question I always ask myself is if I would be comfortable bidding spades for the first time at the four level! East might get in the bidding with a red suit overcall or Unusual Notrump and West might be able to leap to 4D or 4H. If you could count on  a free run 1C makes it easy to describe the 5-5 by bidding and rebidding spades; this is the only pair of suits where you might open the lower ranking on 5-5, but I rarely do so.

South responds 2D and North rebids 3C. Such a new suit by opener at the three level is known as a "high reverse" and is forcing to game in standard methods, but where 2D promises 11 or a good 10 opener may have as little as 14 hcp. Playing 2/1 game force, opener's 3C bid might not require extras, but I (and Mike Lawrence) think it is important to clarify opener's strength as well as shape. I play 3C here as promising 15+ and would "mark time" with a 2S rebid if I had the same shape and only 11-14 hcp.

OK, South can add his 17 to opener's 14 or 15 depending on style; there may be a slam but as yet no fit has appeared and the total may be less than the 33 recommended for 6NT. A 3NT bid at this point would give up on slam, so responder may stall with a 4th suit 3H. Having shown most of his shape and strength and with a stopper in hearts, North bids 3NT -- 4C would risk missing the boat. Now South can bid an invitational 4NT. If North decides to accept 6C looks right, completing the description of his shape and offering a choice of slams. Responder chooses 6NT.

Three pairs bid slam; no declarer claimed 13 tricks. The risk is that if you try the clubs and suit does not split, then try the spade finesse, you could go down; while simply giving up a spade insures 12 tricks. Despite 33 hcp this does not look all that easy to bid and I think it's right to play safe to make.

Sunday, July 20th 2014

Click here for hands and results

Board 1 North Deals None Vul	♠ A Q 9 ♥ J 9 4 ♦ Q J 9 8 5 ♣ K 6
♠ J 7 5 3 2 ♥ 10 8 6 ♦ A 10 7 ♣ J 3	N W E S	♠ K 8 ♥ Q 5 2 ♦ 6 4 3 2 ♣ Q 9 4 2
	♠ 10 6 4 ♥ A K 7 3 ♦ K ♣ A 10 8 7 5

North opens 1D; South should respond 2C. With game-forcing values, responder should start with his longest suit; bidding a minor does NOT deny a major. If, for whatever reason, responder fails to bid his longest suit first (usually for lack of strength to name the suit at the two level, sometimes for tactical reasons) he must not bid that suit later (other than perhaps to raise if partner bids it.) Bidding hearts followed by clubs promises 5 hearts! Make South's King of diamonds a small card and I would respond 1H, planning later to rebid in notrump, not clubs.

After 1D-2C, North rebids 2D or perhaps 2NT. My recom-mendation for this troublesome sequence is to agree that the 2C bid promises the values for 2NT or three of some suit; opener therefore can bid anything up to 3C without requiring extra values. Here, then, opener rebids the diamonds; this may locate a good 5-3 fit. Responder continues with 2H -- we didn't lose that suit -- and opener's third bid is 2NT. With no fit responder settles for 3NT.

On this (and perhaps most) occasions a 1H response would likely work out OK. Opener rebids 1NT and responder raises to 3NT; East may even lead a club. But you'll miss a fair number of slams that way.

It is difficult for East to find a lead that doesn't help declarer. The auction suggests a spade lead but not from Kx! I might try a low heart (dummy's second and therefore shorter or weaker suit) hoping to catch partner with J10xx, KJxx or the like. No luck today, declarer can duck that to his Jack and lead a low diamond. East might duck this but it looks right to win and shift to a low spade. Declarer can afford to play the nine, East wins the King and that's it for the defense since the diamond suit comes in.

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

North opens 2C and South responds 2D (waiting or semi-positive) or 2S (natural, slam-positive or steps, 7-9.) While South is strong enough for a positive response I would avoid that bid with such a poor suit if 2D is not played as strictly negative. Over anything but a natural 2S, North rebids 2NT. This classically shows 22-24 balanced but if 2D promises something (i.e., 2H would be a bust) 2NT is unlimited -- that leaves more room for responder to employ Stayman or transfers. Plausible sequences:

2C-2D (waiting or semi-positive); 2NT-3H (transfer); 3S-4C (second suit, slam interest); 4D (control)-4S; 5S-pass. No one controls hearts.

2C-2S (natural); 3S-4C; 4D-4S; pass (no heart control)

2C-2S (artificial, 7-9); 2NT-3H (transfer), etc., only difference is South plays the hand.

A heart lead is practically guaranteed after any of the above sequences or anytime East is on lead, but it also looks like the natural lead from West's hand even if N/S avoid highlighting the heart problem. Two South declarers managed to steal slam but the odds of getting away with that are poor -- 50% of the time the player on lead has the Ace; if not, the danger suit will still be led part of the time anyway.

Board 12 West Deals N-S Vul	♠ K Q 9 4 2 ♥ 9 3 ♦ K 3 2 ♣ 10 7 3
♠ 7 ♥ K Q 6 ♦ 10 5 4 ♣ A K Q 6 5 4	N W E S	♠ A 6 5 ♥ A J 8 2 ♦ A Q 8 ♣ 9 8 2
	♠ J 10 8 3 ♥ 10 7 5 4 ♦ J 9 7 6 ♣ J

West opens 1C. North does not have a sound overcall (vulnerable) but it can be hard to resist bidding spades -- it does have good obstructive value here. East makes a negative double (showing hearts here); South is too weak to compete. If anyone thinks the Law of Total Tricks says you can bid 3S or even 2S with this trash they should review the need to have your share of points before applying the Law. West rebids 2C and 3NT looks right with East's flat 15 count. Should anyone have bid more? West is close to a 3C jump rebid while East's 3 Aces and honor combinations may be worth more than their raw count, but I doubt I would reach slam here. Note that if West makes a habit of jumping to 3C with this sort of hand what would be the rebid with an extra Ace?

Board 21 North Deals N-S Vul	♠ A K J 9 8 ♥ 8 4 ♦ Q 9 ♣ A K 9 4
♠ 7 4 2 ♥ J 3 ♦ J 10 5 2 ♣ Q 7 5 2	N W E S	♠ 10 6 ♥ Q 10 7 6 2 ♦ A 7 4 ♣ J 8 3
	♠ Q 5 3 ♥ A K 9 5 ♦ K 8 6 3 ♣ 10 6

North opens 1S; South should respond 2D. With game-going values but three-card support for partner's major, the proper approach is to bid a new suit before supporting partner. Since the specific sequence 1S-2H is best played as promising five-card length, responder names his longest/best minor. Why not leap straight to 4S? That throws away valuable bidding room that may lead to a good slam, and in standard methods describes a raise based more on distribution than high card strength. (The classic requirements are five trumps, a singleton or void, and about 6-9 hcp.)

Over 2D, opener has more than enough for 3C, a "high reverse". This creates a game force, promising at least 15 or so in standard methods; I treat it about the same playing 2/1 game force. Minimum range hands can rebid 2S or 2NT, whichever the partnerships prefers as a default rebid. South shows his delayed support with 3S; there should be no reason to leap to 4S. North can try for slam with a 4C control-bid, and South cooperates with 4H. (4D is possible but showing control of the unbuid suit is proabably best here.) This is good news but even valuing his hand at about 19, North does not have quite enough for slam opposite a minimum game-force. 4S is the prudent bid and that likely ends the bidding. The recap shows 12 tricks can be made but +680 scores well; no one bid slam.

　

Wednesday, July 16th 2014

Click here for hands and results.

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

South opens 1H. If the vulnerability were reversed, some might fancy bidding 2NT for the minors with West's cards, but I think bidding with such a weak hand will merely give the enemy a road map to playing the hand. North responds 2D. South rebids 2S; this reverse shows enough for game in standard methods, about 15+. (The requirement is not as high as a reverse after a one-level response since 2D promises about 10+.) Playing 2/1 game force, there are two schools of thought: opener rebids to show distribution, regardless of strength; or opener attempts to clarify both strength and shape. In the latter style opener must have a default rebid for hands that lack the strength or shape for anything else; some use 2NT for that purpose, while Mike Lawrence and I prefer to rebid opener's suit; this has the advantage of consuming the least space and perhaps not wrong-siding 3NT. So, in that style, opener's 2S promises extras, about the same 15+ as in standard. Responder can rebid 2NT in a "go-slow" style, leaving opener room to finish describing his hand; 3D, for example, would suggest 4531 shape which would make 6D a live possibility. Others prefer to leap to 3NT with North's relatively minimum game force, but I think this is a misapplication of the concept of "fast arrival", as the proper strain to play in has not yet been settled. I think agreeing to play "2/1" with no discussion about continuations leads to a lot of guesswork. I would treat a jump to 3NT as showing significant extras, about 15-16. That limits 2NT to either no more than 14 or at least 17.

Opener, adding his 19 to responder's 10-14 (standard) or 12-14 (2/1), can either settle for 3NT or try a quantitative 4NT (notrump over notrump = natural, ot ace-asking.) I think 3NT is best playing standard; 33 hcp will give a fair but not overwhelming play for slam and meanwhile 4NT could be too high with only 29 hcp. Playing 2/1, opener can afford 4NT. Responder can pass or perhaps try 5NT (pick a slam); if opener had the KJ of diamonds, for example, 6D might have better chances than 6NT. As is 6NT looks fair, needing the diamonds to run or the spade finesse plus diamonds no worse than 4-2.

East leads a low club (the unbid suit), Jack, Queen, Ace. It looks right for North to try the spade finesse immediately; if it loses they'll knock out the King of clubs but then you can try the diamonds. If that also fails there may be a squeeze or defensive error. Whether East covers or not the spades will provide four tricks, so declarer tests the diamonds (King and then Ace.) East's discard is disappointing but the hand isn't over yet. Declarer takes the spade and club winners and leads a low heart to hand. When West pops up with the Queen the odds are at least 2:1 in favor of East having the Jack; if declarer is counting West must still have the Jack of diamonds and probably a club, so East has the heart length and the odds are probably even better.

Eight of thirteen pairs bid slam, five making; one declarer managed a fine +490 at 3NT.

Board 7:

West opens 1H; if partner passes there probably isn't a game. East scrapes up a raise and West counts about 4.5 losers. There could be slam opposite as little as xxx KQxx xxx Kxx, with dummy's fourth trump taking care of the fourth club. Opener can try 3C (ostensibly a game try) and continue to slam if responder bids game; another possibility is a "self-splinter" 4D jump. Don't try this without discussion! Even if you play a lot of other bids as splinters, this may not be obvious to partner. Logically, however, a hand with slam interest and long diamonds could simply bid 3D and then 4D, so the jump is more useful to show a shortage. Over 4D responder may sign off at 4H with his flat minimum, but on reflection the hand looks perfect for a dummy reversal, ruffing two diamonds in hand. A partnership playing this sort of splinter is probably using some form of Key Card, so 4NT produces a 5C (0 or 3) reply, or 5D (1430 style.) Over 5C responder can ask about the trump Queen with 5D, and pass 5H when opener denies her majesty. Over 5D there's no room to ask so responder simply gambles 6H.

North leads the Ace and another diamond, ruffed, and declarer must find the missing Queen. There's no obvious reason to forego the slight advantage playing for the drop has over the finesse, so 6H should fail. In 5H, however, declarer should try the finesse on the theory that if the Queen is dropping, you'll lose to anyone in 6H, while +680 could be a cold top. Note that the finesse is something of a safety play since when it fails the trumps are 2-2 and you can claim the rest. However you play the trumps, be sure to start by leading low toward one hand or the other as this gives you better chances against a void.

No one bid this marginal slam; one declarer scored a top with +680.

Monday Evening, July 14th

Click here for hands and results, but the hands for 2 through 13 don't match up properly with the ones we actually played. I copied Board 5 here from Board 4, editing the dealer and vulnerability.

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

North opens 1H. East overcalls 2C or possibly 2H (Michaels), but I prefer to stick with 5-5 for Michaels except not vulnerable over a minor, where partner can bid either major at the two level. South has a not uncommon hand type: fairly weak with 5 card support but balanced shape. Many players, including my partner, will leap to 4H on such hands, trusting that ten trumps makes ten tricks a desirable bid (whether or not it makes.) However, 5332 shape is given as a negative adjustment factor for the Law of Total Tricks and the classic requirements for a preemptive game raise include five trumps and a singleton. 5332 is the most common shape for a major suit opener, about 35%, and about 20% 5422's. There will be a lot of side suit losers opposite such shapes; 5431 and 55 hands will have fewer. If East had passed I would probably make only a simple raise with South's hand. After the overcall, South should at least jump to 3S (preemptive in competition.) The King of clubs seems well-placed after the overcall. Over a Michaels bid, it might be reasonable to guess that as East is showing more shape, partner is apt to be shapelier and perhaps 4H is the best call.

West has five card support for clubs, a singleton in the enemy suit, and three Queens. The club Queen is obviously good for offense and poor for defense; the other two are uncertain on the given auction. All in all competing to 5C seems right; if South bid only 3H, do not bid 4C now and 5C later -- that gives North/South two chances to get right whether they should bid on or defend, perhaps doubling. Decide whether you want to sell out to 4H and, if not, jump to 5C immediately.

Over any raise that suggests at least four trumps North's 3550 shape becomes huge. At our table I think the auction went 1H-(2C)-4H-(5C) and I simply bid 6H. This won't make on a spade lead but East not unreasonably started with the Ace of clubs. I ruffed and played a heart toward dummy. East ducked but playing the Ace and shifting to a spade won't help. I next finessed the Jack of diamonds and led another tump. East shifted to a spade but I was able to cash the top diamonds (pitching a spade), ruff a diamond, ruff a club back to hand and pitch dummy's last spade on the fifth diamond.

Board 21 North Deals N-S Vul	♠ 6 2 ♥ 6 3 ♦ J 9 4 3 ♣ Q 9 8 5 4
♠ A K 8 ♥ A Q 10 8 2 ♦ K Q ♣ A 7 6	N W E S	♠ Q J 10 5 ♥ J 9 ♦ A 10 8 5 ♣ K J 10
	♠ 9 7 4 3 ♥ K 7 5 4 ♦ 7 6 2 ♣ 3 2

East opens 1D; West has more than enough for a strong 2H jump, but a 1H response is fine also. Strong jumps are most useful when responder has around 17 to 19 in value. Plausible auctions:

1C-2H (strong); 2S-2NT; 3NT-6NT

1C-1H; 1S-2NT (forcing); 3NT-6NT

1C-1H; 1S-2C (artificial & forcing); 2NT-6NT

1C-1H; 1S-6NT if you aren't sure any rebid would be clearly forcing.

Declarer counts four spade winners, four or five hearts, three or four diamonds, and two or three clubs. That's a minimum of twelve tricks if the heart finesse fails and thirteen if it succeeds, so the other suits are irrelevant and declarer may as run the Jack of hearts early. All five pairs bid 6NT.

Board 27 South Deals None Vul	♠ A K 3 2 ♥ A J 10 4 2 ♦ A J ♣ Q 6
♠ J 10 7 6 5 ♥ K 8 ♦ K 10 9 4 3 ♣ 3	N W E S	♠ 9 8 4 ♥ 9 7 6 3 ♦ 8 5 ♣ J 7 5 4
	♠ Q ♥ Q 5 ♦ Q 7 6 2 ♣ A K 10 9 8 2

South opens 1C and North has a good hand for a strong, flexible jump to 2H. I say flexible because Standard American rules for strong jumps forbid having a side suit; for my money 1C-2H; 2S-3S would be an excellent way to start an auction if a 4-4 spade fit existed. Plausible auctions:

1C-2H; 3C-3S; 3NT-6NT North's 3S is aimed at finding whether South has something in diamonds, or delayed support for hearts, or extra clubs.

1C-1H; 2C-2S; 3NT-6NT (as above, with the implication of extra strength for opener.)

1C-1H; 2C-2S; 3C-4NT; 5D (Blackwood)-6NT

1C-1H; 2C-2S; 3C-4NT; 5H (two key cards)-5NT; 6C (no side Kings)-pass or 6NT.

West leads a spade. Textbooks often advise "count your losers at a trump contract, winners at notrump" but I find it best to count both at both. Otherwise you may plan out a path to nine winners at 3NT, only to realise too late they'll get five first; or count three losers at 4H, only to find you don't actually have ten winners. You must also pay attention to timing and entries. Here it looks like no losers in clubs, or one on a bad break, and a finesse in either hearts or diamonds. But a careful count of winners reveals that a winning diamond finesse still leaves you with only six side-suit winners, while finessing in hearts establishes three or four winners if it loses and three to five if it wins.

At 6C, South wins the spade in hand, leads to the Queen of clubs, leads another club to the Ace or King and gets the bad news there. To enjoy all the heart winners declarer cashes the other high trump and concedes a trick to the Jack; no return from East will embarass you. East avoids giving declarer a free finesse by returning a spade; declarer, wanting to be in hand, ruffs this. Again counting winners, declarer has three spades, two red Aces, and five trumps. Needing two more tricks, a diamond finesse will only provide one, unless West has a doubleton King. Running the Queen of hearts brings home the slam.

At 6NT, North may get a "friendly" diamond lead, but West should play the King if and only if declarer calls for the Queen. Declarer counts twelve winners if clubs split, but only eleven if they don't; and if hearts split there could be twelve or thirteen tricks despite a bad club split. In a team game you could virtually guarantee the contract by leading a low heart at trick two! At matchpoint, however, you can expect a lot of company in 6NT so you should try to combine good odds of making with some chance for an overtrick. If you play off clubs and they break badly, you will still need the long clubs unless West has Kxx in hearts. So, it looks right to play on clubs (losing the fourth round to East) and cash the remaining clubs before running the Queen of hearts. An opening spade lead complicates declarer's transportation; you cannot get back to the clubs if they split 4-1. Best, then, to run the Queen of hearts at trick two. West covers and then shows out on the third round (as declarer pitches one of dummy's diamonds.) Conceding a heart would leave declarer needing four club tricks or the diamond finesse, while if the clubs run you have that vital overtrick. So the best matchpoint play for what looks like a normal contract is, I think, attempting to run the clubs. When West also shows out there, you have one more chance: East has four hearts and four clubs, and so exactly five cards in spades and diamonds. Finesse the Jack of diamonds and cash the Ace of diamonds and Ace-King of spades. East now the 9x in hearts and Jx in clubs. Cash a third heart and throw East in with the fourth -- he must lead a club, and dummy's K9 brings home the slam! I doubt I would come up with that play at the table.
Four of five pairs bid slam, none making; 6C by West down 1 looks like a mistake in direction since West would, perforce, be down many tricks at any contract.