Under Control



30th January – Board 9: East/West Vul. Dealer North.
The featured hand should not really present a problem with game available in three denominations. However both North and South should be flirting with a slam…


North:
S A Q J 3 2
H J 9 7
D 6
C A K J 2

West:
S 9 4
H 8 6 3
D A Q 10 9 7 3
C 10 9

East:
S 7 6 5
H A 5
D 5 2
C Q 8 7 6 5 3

South:
S K 10 8
H K Q 10 4 2
D K J 8 4
C 4


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

2H shows a five card suit or longer as it always does after a 1S opener from partner. 4D is a raise to game in hearts with a shortage in diamonds and you can see at once that if South held the ace of diamonds instead of the king and the jack then slam would have been a good bet. Even so, with his good fit in spades and robust trump suit, South is probably entitled to wheel out the Old Black whereupon he will stop short when two key players are found to be missing. But South was right to enquire, for give North the ace of hearts instead of the king and jack of clubs then slam would have been cold.

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