So Unfair

24th October – Board 21: North/South Vul. Dealer North.

Of all the innovations over the last few years I think Splinter bids would rank very near the top of any must-have list. The hand below is a case in point where responder can give a no-cost message on the way to a fine slam.

	North: S 10 5 2 H A J 6 D K 10 C 10 8 7 5 2
West: S A J 9 8 H K 10 9 8 7 D A C K 9 3		East: S K H Q 5 4 3 2 D J 7 6 3 C A J 6
	South: S Q 7 6 4 3 H none D Q 9 8 5 4 2 C Q 4

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

That 3S bid shows the values for 4H with a singleton spade and West should be charmed. A check up ensures that there are not two top losers and a slam on minimal values is reached although you do have to be careful. On the likely small club lead declarer should play low from dummy because the rule of 11 shows that South only has one card higher than the five. (By playing the jack prematurely you might set up a club loser for yourself.)

Even so it looks as though there are no worries – nor would there be if trumps broke 2-1 – but as it happens you have to play the king of hearts from hand first when you can hold your trump losers to one. Having bid such a fine slam it would be so unfair to fail because of a bad break.

Too Hasty

5th September – Board 14: Love All. Dealer East.

Did anyone bid the laydown slam on board 14 last night? I think it’s easily possible with just a little bit of planning.

	North: S A K Q J 8 4 H 10 8 2 D 2 C A 4 2
West: S 10 2 H A 9 7 D 9 8 7 5 C J 8 5 3		East: S 7 5 3 H 5 4 3 D K Q J 10 C Q 9 6
	South: S 9 6 H K Q J 6 D A 6 4 3 C K 10 7

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

It’s easy to be too hasty with that North hand and just bash 4S or transfer and then bash it. But one of the beauties of playing transfers is that you can use a jump shift in a suit over 1NT as a single suited slam try. Usually opener will make a cue-bid somewhere unless he has a small doubleton in responder’s suit when he will retreat to 3NT. Here the North hand has an easy continuation with 4C, insisting on spades and cue-bidding the ace of clubs on the way. Now South should be charmed. A popular convention finds responder has three key-cards and the 5H continuation asks about the queen of trumps. Holding that lady North is honour-bound to bid the slam. Not so difficult after all.

Faint Heart

18th July – Board 6: East/West Vul. Dealer East.

There were several points of interest about the following hand although I think things might have got a little confused at the table and I’m not sure whether any E/W pair actually bid the really good 6H or 6D. If they did I apologize and perhaps they would let me know how.

	North: S K J 10 9 8 H Q 4 D 10 6 4 C Q J 6
West: S none H J 8 3 2 D A K J 7 5 2 C A K 7		East: S 7 6 5 4 H A K 9 7 D Q 9 C 10 9 4
	South: S A Q 3 2 H 10 6 5 D 8 3 C 8 5 3 2

West	North	East	South
		No	No
1D	1S	Dbl	3S
5H	No	6H	End

Sadly some Easts forget to make a Sputnik double over 1S, saying they would have responded 1H without the interruption, and straightaway the heart slam went begging. However with or without the double South is dead right to bid 3S, not a strong bid or he would have bid 2D, but merely pre-empting to the level of the fit. Quite right too, for even with accurate defence this only goes for 500 – less than the vulnerable game the other way, let alone the slam. 3S poses a problem for West and he is too good to bid 4H which sounds just as though he is competing without thoughts of anything better. If this seems strange imagine the opposition had remained silent, then over his partner’s 1H response he would have rebid 3S, a splinter, and looking for a heart slam. So don’t be faint hearted now but bid 5H! Staring at the top two trumps East would have no difficulty bidding the slam and in fact thirteen tricks come rolling in when the queen of trumps obligingly falls in two rounds.

Strangely Similar

18th July – Board 12: North/South Vul. Dealer West.

With striking similarities to the previous hand N/S did all they could to keep the opposition from bidding the huge 6H or 6D but this time they were simply outgunned.

	North: S K J 9 5 3 H 10 2 D Q 3 C Q J 9 6
West: S Q H Q 9 5 4 D A K J 4 2 C A K 2		East: S A H K J 8 7 3 D 9 8 7 6 5 C 10 4
	South: S 10 8 7 6 4 2 H A 6 D 10 C 8 7 5 3

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

East might double 1S to show hearts but I think with his huge diamond fit it’s just about ok to bid 2H to show the five-carder. Again South should bid 4S with his massive fit and even at adverse vulnerability this will only cost 500 – a good save against a slam. However West would surely have none of that and just check up on key-cards before alighting in 6H once a key-card is found to be missing.

Same Wavelength

23rd May – Board 23: Game All. Dealer South.

The following hand should be easy to bid to (almost) the right contract but you have to be careful that you and your partner are both on the same wavelength.

	North: S 5 H Q 10 6 2 D K Q 7 4 C Q 8 7 5
West: S A J 8 7 3 H K J 5 D A 6 2 C J 9		East: S K Q 9 2 H A 9 8 D 10 C A K 4 3 2
	South: S 10 6 4 H 7 4 3 D J 9 8 5 3 C 10 6

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

The grand slam is just about worth being in although hard to bid with any degree of certainty but its younger brother should not prove too difficult to aspire to. 2NT is Jacoby, agreeing spades and game forcing. 3S denies a hand in excess of about 15 points but is stronger than 4S and it also denies a singleton or void. Then after the mandatory cue-bid or two Roman Keycard confirms that all the main players are present leading to the obvious slam. So was I part of this glorious bidding sequence when I held the West cards? Not all. North made a cheeky double of the 1S opening bid and although partner did bid 2NT it was not clear whether we were playing system on or not. Partner was but I wasn’t.