A poor slam

[Coelacanth]

ACBL Regional Swiss Teams, 7-board matches

[hv=pc=n&s=s5hkt9dat65caq976&n=sakjhqjdqj94ckt53&d=e&v=n&b=2&a=p1d1s2sp3cp3dp3hp3sp4cp6cppp]266|200[/hv]

 

Spots approximate

 

You decide to open the South hand 1♦ to avoid an awkward rebid should partner bid 1♠. Partner's cue-bid was a general game force, I think. (I was East on this hand; if 2♠ was a limit+ diamond raise there's no way North would bid 3 nonforcing diamonds with his hand.)

 

Apparently partner didn't trust your hearts enough to bid 3NT; nor did you trust his spades. So you end up in slam. Not the worst slam you've ever been in. The overcall seems to suggest that the spade is onside but the diamond is off, so you are looking at down one unless someone ducks the ♥A or LHO favors you by leading away from the ♦K.

 

Well, a small diamond does hit the table and you assess your chances. The play proceeds:

 

diamond lead ruffed by RHO

small heart, won by LHO with the ace

diamond ruff by RHO

another heart, ruffed by LHO

another diamond ruff

 

The good news is that you've successfully drawn trumps. Unfortunately you are down four before you even get in. 3NT made five at the other table on a very different auction. East, holding ♠T87 ♥8765432 ♦void ♣J84, opened 3♥ in first chair.

[kenrexford]

Why is North bidding 6♣? With ♠AKJ, you probably have a spade stopper, so 6NT seems a lot safer, not to mention the bonus from bidding the notrump slam over the minor suit slam. Plus, 6NT has play if either minor suit does not produce.

 

Imagine, for example, South having ♠-- ♥Kxx ♦AKxxxx ♣Axxx, where 3♣ was a natural pattern call, 3♥ a notrump probe, and 4♣ a cuebid. Now, the lack of an ability to pick up clubs, perhaps, is not a problem. Run the six diamonds, establish with one loser a couple of heart tricks, and watch what happens. With six diamonds, two hearts, two spades, and two clubs in the bag, you have 12 tricks! Tada!

 

What about only ♠x ♥Kxx ♦AKxxx ♣Axxxx? Now, you have a spade hook for three spades, two hearts, five diamonds, and two clubs, again reaching 12 tricks.

 

What about ♠-- ♥Kxx ♦AKxxx ♣Axxxx? Now, you have five diamonds, two hearts, two spades, and two clubs, with potentially a black-suit squeeze if West has Qxx/Jxx in clubs.

[ggwhiz]

Yeah, in my partnership South has patterned out eventually showing 1-3-4-5 shape. Before the 4♣ bid it might have been 1-3-5-4. If North absorbs that info, notrump is indicated.

 

However, we don't pattern out like this without extra values and you need em all for slam on the mirrorish shape. 2♠ for us just shows a limit plus raise at that point and South would bid only 3♦ over it and not get bullish until the plus part is revealed. After that North should be wary of the spade waste.

 

Edit: The South hand is pretty appealing so I'll change my "would" (bid 3♦) to "could". When we make a small misstep or two we usually get out for down 3 so I'm glad I'm not you :)