Painting A Picture

9th December – Board 21: N/S Vul. Dealer North.

You would be really unlucky to fail in 6S on the hand shown above, a better slam than 6D which would require something nice to happen in trumps. However slams with only seven trumps are notoriously hard to bid and it may be with hindsight that I suggest the following auction:

West	North	East	South
	No	1S	No
2D	No	2H	No
3C	No	3S	No
4S	No	4NT	No
5D	No	6S	End

With the final (game) contract unknown West must be careful to paint a delicate picture of his hand by bidding 3C at his second turn, fourth suit forcing but also game forcing after a two-level bid. When East bids 3S this nearly always shows a six-card suit because there are other options open otherwise, and now West has a choice between bidding 4S or 4D, showing a six-card suit there. I think it’s close but in either event East will invoke RKCB, find there is only one key player missing and bid the slam. You would get away with 3NT with the jack of clubs well-placed, but that would be awful with a slam in two suits available.