| Board 1 North Deals None Vul |
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North opens 1S, South responds 2H and North shows extras in most standard methods by rebidding 3C. (I recommend this even playing 2/1 Game Force; minimum unbalanced hands can rebid their major without promising extra length.) Such a rebid forces to game so South can support spades with a simple 3S. This leaves room for North to make a slam try (4C) and South cooperates by showing a diamond control (4D.) While North has a promising hand partner's original response suggests wasted values; North pauses at 4S. South has a massive source of tricks, but with no sure side entry and only three trumps it may not be possible to pull trumps and then use all the hearts; of course, the suit may simply run. North's bidding has been fairly strong so I think 4NT is justified. Playing RKCB North shows 3 key cards as well as giving a positive reply to South's Queen ask (5H.) 6S proves very unlucky but it seems to me it should be bid.
East probably leads his singleton heart against 4S, though the "textbook" recommendation with four trumps is to try and force declarer to ruff. Against such strong bidding that seems unlikely to succeed. What about leading against a slam? If North's failure to bid 5NT suggests partner has a key card, East will score a ruff if partner has either major suit Ace. Otherwise, sometimes the singleton lead fouls declarer's communications -- which is what happened to me. I could not pull trumps and return to dummy to use the hearts, so I was forced to lead a second heart and pitch my losing diamond. East ruffed and I could not avoid at least one club or trump loser.
| Board 8 West Deals None Vul |
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North opens 1D or perhaps 3D, but with two quick tricks and 11 working hcp I'd rate the hand too strong for a preempt. Either way South has a massive hand and forces to either 6D or 6S. At our table North opened 3D, South employed RKCB, North replied 5S (two diamond key cards plus the Queen) and South raised to 6S! This proved unfortunate when East lead a club and West was able to guess the diamond void based on the auction. As two pairs failed to bid slam and another overbid to 7NT (!), perhaps 6D is best even at matchpoints, but 6S was a heavy favorite to make.
After a 1D opening, South jumps to 2S (strong.) North rebids 3D. I play an exception to the usual "asks about the last suit" here -- if responder jump shifts and then follows with 4NT, it's RKCB for responder's suit, regardless of what opener rebid. Here South does not need information about spades and so raises to 4D. North control bids 4H and now South continues with RKCB for diamonds. If South then chooses 6S West will be on lead and may hope to score two clubs or a club and a heart, but the diamond threat and matchpoint scoring suggests banging down the Ace of clubs anyway. The extra diamond length in dummy may suggest the deadly diamond switch.
Not playing strong jumps the bidding starts 1D-1S; 2D and South, somewhat stuck for a forcing bid, leaps to 4NT for much the same result as above. Strong jumps are most useful when responder is uncertain about whether the combined hands add up to slam; powerhouses like this aren't too difficult to bid.
| Board 15 South Deals N-S Vul |
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A "double-dummy" slam; at the table I would expect 1C-3NT or the equivalent. At 6C declarer might fail on the percentage play of trying to drop the King of clubs, but against 3NT, with no knowledge of the big fit, West covers the Queen of clubs, hoping declarer will finesse against the ten. (Lacking the ten, it would be normal for West to duck the first club and for declarer to rise with the Ace! Odds favor a 1-1 split.) Throw in the winning heart finesse and +690 rolls in.
| Board 23 South Deals Both Vul |
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South opens 1C, North responds 1S and South reverses to 2D. I'm reluctant to force the bidding with only 16 hcp and a stiff in responder's suit, but the strong clubs make up for all. Unfortunately, many pairs have no clear agreements over reverses; the default, if there is one, would be that 2S, 3C and 3D would all be non-forcing and responder must jump or bid the fourth suit (2H) to force. Lebensohl is one popular alternative, Ingbergman another. Here responder lacks 8 hcp but expects a 5-5 fit -- should North bid or force to game or settle for 3C? With basically one cover card plus the singleton opposite partner's second suit, 5C looks like a stretch. But opener has little in diamonds and twelve tricks roll in with the successful heart finesse. Top scores went to 3NT which looks to be a 50% shot; five clubs making six would've been a near top. Hands with a 5-5 minor suit fit may be an exception to the general principle of avoiding five of a minor at matchpoints.
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