| Board 6 East Deals E-W Vul |
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South opens 1S -- this isn't quite enough for 2C; if partner passses, you are probably not missing game. West, vulnerable, has no bid with his K empty seven-bagger. North must decide between inviting game and forcing. By point count the hands counts to 11 -- 10 hcp plus one for the doubleton diamond; don't count both the Jack of hearts and the doubleton. Losing Trick counters will count seven losers and force to game. The hand is too strong in terms of high cards and defensive tricks for a straight 4S raise, so the choice is between a forcing raise (such as Jacoby 2NT) or simply bidding 2D and then insuring game is reached. For slam purposes 2D and then 4S is a fairly good description, highlighting the source of tricks and letting opener decide if he has the controls and strength for slam. With the point count and LTC disagreeing, let's try visualizing: if we can construct a laydown game hand with only 10 hcp for partner, we should drive to game; if we need a perfect 12 or extreme shape, it's better to simply invite. So, partner might have, say, AKQxxx xxx xxx x, but a singleton opposite one of our doubletons seems unlikely. Perhaps AKxxxx Kxx xx xx : not totally a laydown but certainly heavy favorite. well, if partner hates to pass game invitations, 3S looks right; if partner thinks you might have two or three points less than this, better force to game.
Assuming North bids 3S, South counts one or two spade losers, zero or one heart, two diamonds and a club -- call it five losers. A limit raise suggests 3.5 cover cards -- a bare three would be at the upper end of a simple raise while four full should force to game. (North's actual hand can expect to provide four or five winners but lacks the controls for a clear game force.) Slam looks iffy and I would settle for 4S over a limit raise. If North forces with a Jacoby 2NT, South bids 3S to show extra values (16+) and then drives the hand to slam since he has even more. Likewise South should push on if North follows the 2D-then-4S path.
Note to key card bidders: North/South are missing one key card plus the Queen, but with a 10 card fit two trump losers are unlikely. North's bidding may or may not clearly indicate four trumps. As it happens the spot cards would make slam a good bet regardless of the combined trump length, but it's always hard to diagnose AJ1098 unless all are in one hand. Three of five pairs reached slam.
| Board 14 East Deals None Vul |
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South, in between the strength for 1NT and 2NT, opens 1C. North responds 1S and South shows 18-19 with a jump to 2NT. North adds 13 hcp and one or two for shape, so slam looks possible. At notrump there will be at most 32 hcp, so the best hope is that South has four clubs and/or five spades. Now North must be sure about the partnership style: would 3C be forcing or not? I recommend, and have seen various experts state, that after opener's jump to 2NT, any non-game bid is forcing; if we want to stop in a part-score, it can only be 2NT. This leaves maximum room to explore with good hands. On that basis North can bid 3C. South shows delayed (3-card) support with 3S. North control-bids 4H, highlighting the need for a diamond control. South has that covered and can proceed with 4NT, then bid slam after North shows two Aces or two key cards plus the Queen of trumps. Although 6NT also makes as it happens, South cannot be sure North's has quite so much in high cards and +980 should score well.
If opener might pass 3C, responder must jump to 4C (partner will surely have either three spades or four clubs) or use a gadget such as New Minor Forcing (if your partnership extends that to opener's 2NT rebid.) In either case opener shows delayed support for spades and responder can proceed toward 6S. Three of five pairs reached this good slam.
| Board 16 West Deals E-W Vul |
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North opens 1NT; South counts a combined 29-31 hcp. South has seven losers and can expect North to cover 5 (3 points per trick.) So far, not quite enough for slam. Try visualizing: is there a perfect minimum that makes 12 tricks a laydown? QJxxx Axx Axx Ax looks right. On that basis South has enough to invite but not force to slam. While you may not reach slam opposite that perfect minimum, the actual hands partner accepts will include the perfecto plus as well as hands with other extras that compensate for any flaws. Now, how to invite? If you haven't redefined jumps to the three level, 1NT-3D is forcing with at least five diamonds. Playing transfers, South can transfer to diamonds (2NT or 3C), followed by 3NT. This is a slam try; with no interest in slam responder should not bother showing a long minor on a hand with no singleton. North has a good fit and excellent controls; but does South control spades? North can control-bid 4C, South bids 4S, and North proceeds with 4NT. After the one Ace or 2+ Queen reply, North bids 5NT to confirm all four Aces or all five key cards plus the Queen. Playing Blackwood, South may reply 6H and North retreats to 6NT. This happens to make on the low-odds double-finesse in hearts. Playing Key Card, South bids 6D to show one side King and North passes. On a club lead declarer will still need the double finesse; on any other lead might have a chance to pitch two clubs if the first heart finesse failed. No one bid this thin slam and in fact +460 scored a top -- against North's 3NT, East certainly leads a club and North will be reluctant to risk even one finessse, let alone two.
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