Saturday Afternoon, July 27th 2013 (NLM Tournament)

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Board 24 West Deals None Vul	♠ Q 7 6 3 ♥ Q 8 ♦ 10 9 8 5 ♣ Q 8 5
♠ J 8 ♥ K J 10 ♦ A 7 3 ♣ K 10 6 3 2	N W E S	♠ A K 10 9 ♥ A 9 6 5 3 ♦ K J 4 ♣ 4
	♠ 5 4 2 ♥ 7 4 2 ♦ Q 6 2 ♣ A J 9 7

West opens 1C; you might look askance at the unguarded spade jack but I recommend opening any hand with 12 hcp including an Ace or three Kings. East has a nice hand but no slam interest until a fit can be found, 1H is the normal response. West should rebid either 1NT or 2S depending on the partnership attitude toward 3-card raises of responder's major; the club suit is too ratty to rebid if any reasonable alternative exists. Over 1NT East may simply raise to 3NT; or he may trot out New Minor Forcing (2D) to check on a heart fit. West bids 2H to show delayed support; the 5-3 fit is not enough to chase slam and East simply raises to game.

If West raises instead East is more optimistic -- there may be a nine-card fit. East bids 2S as a game try; he will try to show slam ambitions later. West has help in spades but a minimum and uncertainty about a fit -- partner could be 4-4 in the majors. West bids 2NT to suggest only three trumps and minimum values. Again, 4H looks right for East. No pair reached slam.

South has no attractive lead. Placing 24 or more hcp with the enemy, partner rates to have six to nine. When I do not expect partner to have at least 8 hcp I try to make a safe lead; a trump may be as good as anything, as the auction has not pointed to any great discard threat from dummy. Unfortunately this saves declarer a guess, but that might have been true in any suit. Declarer counts three or four spades, five trumps, two or three diamonds and perhaps a club; there is also the chance of setting up the fifth club in dummy. A reasonable line would be to pull trumps, ending in dummy, and run the Jack of spades. North covers and now declarer leads up to the King of clubs; that sets up twelve tricks. As it happens the same line scores +480 at hearts or +490 at notrump, but most declarers settled for eleven tricks.

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

South opens 1D and North responds 1H or possibly a strong 2H. North should certainly be thinking slam in either hearts or diamonds; in most styles a fit must exist since opener will either have 4 diamonds or three or four hearts. South rebids in notrump, suggesting a balanced 12-14 (too weak to open 1NT.) After 1D-1H; 1NT North has some difficulty portraying his strength: most play a jump to 3D as invitational (about 11-12) rather than forcing; 3NT would be to play; and the hand isn't strong enough to risk a natural 4NT slam invitation. 3NT will be the practical choice in most partnerships. If "New Minor Forcing" is marked on the convention card, North can bid 2C, forcing and artificial; this shows at least 11 hcp and 5 hearts and asks opener to show 3 card support if he has it. Here South rebids 2D, showing his extra length and denying heart support. The good fit is enough for an optimistic North to push to slam, such as 4NT (Blackwood), 5H (two Aces), 6D. Key-card bidders will get a "0 or 3" reply; could this be 0? Yes, opener could have KQx Jx KJxxx QJx, for example. Playing normal RKCB. the response would be 5C and responder can sign off at 5D. Opener should realize that, having limited his hand to the 12-14 range, partner cannot have been expecting four key cards; so it is proper in this case for opener to continue to 6D. "1430" bidders have more of a guess; the space-eating 5D reply forces responder to hope for the best. Don't let anyone tell you "1430" is always better; it tends to be better when the responding hand is relatively weak.

If North started with a strong 2H, South rebids 2NT and now North can simply rebid 3D, showing hearts, diamonds and slam interest. South is eager to cooperate with his wealth of key cards; a 3S cue-bid looks right. Now North can jump to 4NT with no worries about two fast spade losers, and, if playing Roman Key Card, no doubt that partner's "0 or 3" reply means 3. Two level strong jumps often simplify the auction.

At 6D declarer wins any lead, pulls trumps in two rounds and runs the hearts, dumping three black cards. Twelve fast tricks are also available at hearts and notrump, but playing slam in the obvious nine-card fit ties for a top as only two pairs reached slam.